Hausa

or Haus·sa

[ hou-sah, -suh, -zuh ]

/ ˈhaʊ sɑ, -sə, -zə /

Save This Word!

Definition of Hausa

noun, plural Hau·sas, (especially collectively) Hau·sa for 1.

a member of an Indigenous people of northern Nigeria and southern Niger whose culture has been strongly influenced by Islam.

the language of the Hausa people, belonging to the Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic family, widely used in Africa as a language of commerce.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Hausa

haunting, Hauppauge, Hauptmann, Hauraki Gulf, hauriant, Hausa, Hausdorff space, hausen, hausfrau, Haushofer, Haussmann

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Hausa in a sentence

A Hausa-Fulani farmer works at a farm in the outskirts of Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Butterfly Effect: Why Spies Need to Focus on Climate Change|Charu Kasturi|September 16, 2021|Ozy
Meanwhile, a quiet but brutal ethnic conflict between two of Nigeria’s most prominent ethnic groups, the Fulani and the Hausa, has gone almost unnoticed globally.
Butterfly Effect: It’s Time to Wake Up to Nigeria’s Nightmare|Charu Kasturi|June 17, 2021|Ozy
Chika, a well-to-do young Igbo woman, has been pulled to safety in a deserted shop by a Hausa Muslim woman.
The Hypocrite Killer|Jane Ciabattari|June 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Somehow the four of them had managed to breach the Hausa-Pennsylfawnisch Deitsch curtain.
Blind Man's Lantern|Allen Kim Lang

The inhabitants, mostly Hausa, carry on an extensive trade and are especially noted for their embossed brass and copper work.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7|Various
Under his son Ahmed (about 1808) the kingdom began to be harassed by the Fula, who had already conquered the Hausa country.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3|Various
They became to the extreme west of Africa what the Hausa are in the west-central regions.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 5|Various
A native soldier steps forward, and quits the beleaguered fort disguised as a Hausa.
A Camera Actress in the Wilds of Togoland|Meg Gehrts

British Dictionary definitions for Hausa

Hausa

/ (ˈhaʊsə) /

noun

plural -sas or -sa a member of a Negroid people of W Africa, living chiefly in N Nigeria

the language of this people: the chief member of the Chadic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. It is widely used as a trading language throughout W Africa and the S Sahara

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