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 U.S. also stations commandos and other forces in Somalia itself, where they help elite local troops fighting al-Shabaab—an Islamist insurgent group affiliated with al Qaeda—and the Somali branch of Islamic State.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Somali diaspora, however, is still providing vital cash flow.

Read more on Barron's

TPS has allowed thousands of Somali nationals to live and work legally in the U.S. after fleeing conflict and humanitarian crises in Somalia.

Read more on Salon

It said had received credible reports that "unidentified hackers" had penetrated the Somali government's e-visa platform, potentially compromising data from at least 35,000 people.

Read more on BBC

Private security firm Ambrey said the attackers were probably Somali pirates, who have been active in the region in recent days.

Read more on BBC