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Galla

American  
[gal-uh] / ˈgæl ə /

noun

  • Gallas,
    plural
  • Galla
    plural
  1. Offensive. Oromo.


Galla British  
/ ˈɡælə /

noun

  1. a member of a tall dark-skinned people inhabiting Somalia and SE Ethiopia

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Cushitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitivity

The Oromo (a nomadic, pastoral people of Ethiopia and Kenya) were formerly called Galla by other Ethiopians, and this name is common in historical texts through the early 20th century. However, Galla was never used by the Oromo themselves, and it is now considered a derogatory name for the people.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of Galla

First recorded in 1875–80; origin uncertain; perhaps from Amharic or from Arabic ghalīẓ “wild, rough.”


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Ms. Galla, who has won Olympic gold three times for cross-country skiing, took second in the competition behind YouTuber Hampus Hedström.

From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023

“He probably understands,” Galla said, “that we will not be able to go back there.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022

But two days later, Galla started feeling sick.

From Time ● Oct. 2, 2014

“Chris is always in the right place at the right time, and that’s not a luck thing,” Dave Galla, one of Drury’s Trumbull teammates, told me when I wrote an article about them.

From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2011

We crossed the Arragon at the village of Galla Pienzo, and lay down in a field not far from the village of Caseda.

From Twenty-Five Years in the Rifle Brigade by William Surtees

After drawing a game they had dominated, Arsenal defender William Gallas famously sat down on the pitch in what Match of the Day commentator Jonathan Pearce described as "a state of disbelief".

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026

In one training session, speech therapist Heather Gallas discusses eye tracking technology that allows patients to spell out words and communicate with a tablet.

From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2022

He has a look at a new master plan by Torti Gallas + Partners that would spruce up the outdoor areas and connect islands of park that were previously disconnected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2019

Commission Vice Chairman Thomas M. Gallas said the commission has received “hundreds” of public comments on the issue.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2018

The Imperialist general, Gallas, followed him, but was easily defeated, and then Torstenson, in turn, followed him back through Bohemia into Austria.

From A History of Germany From the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Bayard Taylor

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