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definitions

Zaire

or Za·ïre

[ zah-eer, zah-eer ]
/ zɑˈɪər, ˈzɑ ɪər /

noun

Republic of, a former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
official name within the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the Congo River (the term Congo River is more widely used elsewhere).
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for zaïre

Zaïre

/ (zɑːˈɪə) /

noun

the former name (1971–97) of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(formerly) the Zaïrian name (1971–97) for the (River) Congo (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for zaïre

Zaire

African nation (1971-1997), from an early alternative name of the Congo River, from Kikongo nzai, dialectal form of nzadi "river."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for zaïre

Zaire

[ (zeye-eer) ]

See Democratic Republic of Congo.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.