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Swahili
[ swah-hee-lee ]
noun
- a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.
- Also Ki·swa·hi·li or ki-Swa·hi·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.
Swahili
/ swɑːˈhiːlɪ /
noun
- Also calledKiswahili 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 calledMswahiliWaswahili -lis-li a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar
adjective
- of or relating to the Swahilis or their language
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Derived Forms
- Swaˈhilian, adjective
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Other Words From
- Swa·hi·li·an adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Swahili1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Swahili1
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Example Sentences
The Telegraph reports that he is fluent in Swahili and a keen zoologist.
Neither Arabic or Swahili writings make note of Gedi, despite it being located 65 miles from the port city of Mombasa.
If one dared to speak Swahili in his company, a swift reprimand would often be forthcoming.
Campi ya Kanzi means “Camp of the Hidden Treasure” in Swahili.
Interestingly, as Azad means “freedom” in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Turkish, and other languages, "Uhuru" means "freedom" in Swahili.
My gun-bearer (a Swahili) now began to show an anxiety to turn back.
The dismounted gun and the ammunition-boxes were on the heads of Swahili porters.
Thus, though it is absent as a plural prefix for nouns in the Swahili of Zanzibar, it reappears in the concord.
"Safari" is itself a Swahili word of Arabic origin, meaning an expedition and all that pertains to it.
My Spanish is only a little bit better than my Swahili, so I missed what was going on, except for an occasional word.
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