Somali

[soh-mah-lee, suh-]

noun

plural

Somalis ,

plural

Somali .

1. a member of a people speaking a Cushitic language and living primarily in Somalia, Somaliland, and adjacent regions.

2. the Cushitic language of the Somali ethnic group.

adjective

1. of or relating to Somalia, its people, or their language.

2. of or relating to the Somali ethnic group or their language.

Somali

/ səʊˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

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

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

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Somalia, the Somalis, or their language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Somali¹

First recorded in 1800–10 as Samaulies (plural); from Somali Soomaali, a self-designation

Example Sentences

"The country's universities, especially the Somali National University, should focus more on developing the Swahili language, which is the language of East Africa," President Mohamud said.

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Fateh’s campaign office in Minneapolis was vandalized with a message that read, “Somali Muslim — this warning is no joke.”

Read more on Salon

His Somali and Mexican drivers are also avoiding the roads, he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The trip across the Channel would be with "a mixture of Somalis, Sudanese, Kurds and so on", he explained, boasting about two successful launches the previous week, with 55 people on each.

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"However, their profile has changed, the nationalities have changed. We are now seeing far more young Eritreans, Somalis and Sudanese and far fewer Afghan or Kurdish children," he added.

Read more on BBC