Yoruba
Americannoun
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Yorubas,
plural
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Yoruba
plural
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a member of a numerous West African coastal people.
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the language of the Yoruba, a Kwa language.
noun
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a member of a Negroid people of W Africa, living chiefly in the coastal regions of SW Nigeria: noted for their former city states and complex material culture, particularly as evidenced in their music, art, and sculpture
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the language of this people, belonging to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family
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For example, AI speech recognition tools fail less than 6% of the time in English, but more than ten times as often in Yoruba, one of the most widely spoken languages in West Africa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
At the core of Ibeyi, which translates to “twins” in the Yoruba language, is the polarity between sisters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Twins are considered a blessing in Yoruba culture and their names are predestined.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Reality TV star and actor Tobi Bakre brought Yoruba royalty to the carpet dressed in the traditional agbada designed by Deji and Kola with a custom made brass staff.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
The walls were studded with nails; perhaps the Yoruba occupier had hung up many photos.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Meanwhile, among the Yorubas and Igbos of southern Nigeria, some marks are linked to life and death.
From BBC ● May 20, 2022
“Don’t you hear the Yorubas speaking their own language?”
From The Guardian ● Mar. 14, 2019
In Gusau, there was a sizeable population of ethnic Yorubas from south-western Nigeria, Igbos from the south-east, and thriving Indian and Lebanese communities.
From BBC ● May 18, 2018
The Nigerian government is currently dominated by Christian Yorubas.
From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2012
The Yorubas from the upper country, who will engage for three years, demand from a franc to a shilling per diem, rations not given.
From To The Gold Coast for Gold, Vol. II A Personal Narrative by Sir Richard Francis Burton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
