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Selam

American  
[se-lahm] / sɛˈlɑm /

noun

  1. the fossil remains of a three-year-old hominin, discovered in Ethiopia in 2000 and classified as Australopithecus afarensis : judged to be 100,000 years older than Lucy, whose remains had been found just a few miles north in 1974.


Etymology

Origin of Selam

First recorded in 2005–10; from an Ethiopian language, e.g., Geez: literally, “peace”

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:

"No-one understands when we are menstruating and our behaviour changes," Selam explains.

From BBC Mar. 5, 2026

Running roughly 1 million calculations with varying parameters, the results produced a median age for Selam of 3 million years old, with 2 million being the most likely result.

From Science Daily May 2, 2024

Selam Gebrekidan is an investigative reporter for The New York Times based in London.

From New York Times Nov. 10, 2023

In images shared this week with the AP from Tigray’s flagship hospital in the capital, Mekele, a health worker pinched the thin stomach of a small child, 2-year-old Selam Mulu.

From Seattle Times Oct. 6, 2022

With cries of "Aleikoúm Selam," they both jumped off their horses, and were immediately locked in each other's embrace.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 331, May, 1843 by Various

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