Swahili

Swa·hi·li

[swah-hee-lee]
noun, plural Swa·hi·lis ( especially collectively ) Swa·hi·li for 1.
1.
a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.
2.
Also, Kiswahili, ki-Swahili. 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.

Swa·hi·li·an, adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
Swahili (swɑːˈhiːlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , -lis, -li
1.  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
2.  Mswahili, Also called: Waswahili a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar
 
adj
3.  of or relating to the Swahilis or their language
 
[C19: from Arabic sawāhil coasts]
 
Swa'hilian
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Swahili is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Swahili
name of a Bantu people inhabiting the coast of South Africa, 1814, from Arabic sawahil, plural of sahil "coast" + gentilic suffix -i.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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