Swahili
[ swah-hee-lee ]
/ swɑˈhi li /
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noun, plural Swa·hi·lis, (especially collectively) Swa·hi·li for 1.
a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.
Also Ki·swa·hi·li or ki-Swa·hi·li [kee-swah-hee-lee] /ˌki swɑˈhi li/ . the Bantu language of the Swahili people, used also as a lingua franca in Tanzania, Kenya, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Origin of Swahili
First recorded in 1810–15; from Swahili, from Arabic sawāḥiliy “of or pertaining to the coast,” equivalent to sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil “coast” + -iy adjective and noun suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM Swahili
Swa·hi·li·an, adjectiveWords nearby Swahili
swagger coat, swaggering, swagger stick, swaggie, swagman, Swahili, swain, Swainson's hawk, Swainson's thrush, S.W.A.K., swakara
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Swahili in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Swahili
Swahili
/ (swɑːˈhiːlɪ) /
noun
Also called: Kiswahili a language of E Africa that is an official language of Kenya and Tanzania and is widely used as a lingua franca throughout E and central Africa. It is a member of the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family, originally spoken in Zanzibar, and has a large number of loan words taken from Arabic and other languages
Also called: Mswahili, Waswahili plural -lis or -li a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar
adjective
of or relating to the Swahilis or their language
Derived forms of Swahili
Swahilian, adjectiveWord Origin for Swahili
C19: from Arabic sawāhil coasts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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