Niger-Congo

[ nahy-jer-kong-goh ]

/ ˈnaɪ dʒərˈkɒŋ goʊ /

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noun

a subfamily of Niger-Kordofanian, that comprises a large number of languages of Africa, as Ewe, Ibo, Yoruba, and the Bantu languages, spoken in nearly all of the equatorial forest region and in much of southern Africa.

adjective

of, belonging to, or constituting Niger-Congo.

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Words nearby Niger-Congo

Niflheim, nifty, Nigel, nigella, Niger, Niger-Congo, Nigeria, Nigerian, Nigerien, Niger-Kordofanian, Niger seed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Niger-Congo in a sentence

At the highest navigable point of the Congo River, thick jungle creates an impenetrable wall of green around a large island.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Victims were put into sacks, speared, and thrown into the Congo River.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since then, Kisangani has been the epicenter of nearly every rebellion in the Congo.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“This town was the most beautiful girl in the Congo,” laments a friend sitting nearby.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Since then, conflict has continued to pummel much of the eastern part of the Congo, but Kisangani has remained relatively calm.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In their voyage up the river Niger, their description of the scenes is extravagant.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany
That which was in the menagerie of Versailles, which came from Congo, was but seven feet and a half high, in his seventeenth year.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
On his last trip, during which he spent nearly four years in the Congo, he secured about two and one-half tons of ivory.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
M. Adanson relates, that the woods of Ponor, along the river Niger, are filled with green monkeys.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Long before the little Niger, indeed, was herself out in the Solent, all the long lines were fully astir.
The Heroic Record of the British Navy|Archibald Hurd

British Dictionary definitions for Niger-Congo

Niger-Congo

noun

a family of languages of Africa consisting of the Bantu languages together with most of the languages of the coastal regions of West Africa. The chief branches are Benue-Congo (including Bantu), Kwa, Mande, and West Atlantic

adjective

relating to or belonging to this 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