Songhai

[ song-gahy ]

noun

, plural Son·ghais, (especially collectively) Son·ghai

1. a member of a group of peoples living along the Niger River in the area of Timbuktu and Gao in Mali and in adjacent areas of Niger and Burkina Faso.
2. a West African empire dominated by the Songhai that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries.
3. the Nilo-Saharan language of the Songhai.

Songhai

/ sɒŋˈɡaɪ /

noun

1. -ghai-ghais a member of a Nilotic people of W Africa, living chiefly in Mali and Niger in the central Niger valley
2. the language or group of dialects spoken by this people, now generally regarded as forming a branch of the Nilo-Saharan family

Example Sentences

One of the authors, Songhai Li at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering in China, referred questions to Samuel Turvey, a co-author based at the Zoological Society of London.

From New York Times

The elegantly dressed Malian Songhai woman is a newlywed who is performing her marital duties by serving tea for her husband and guests, Malian photographer Oumou Diarra says.

From BBC

And for myself, I lie in my hammock at night and whisper the names to the darkness: Dahomey, Taghaza, Sankore, Accra, the ancient realm of Songhai.

From Literature

Liu Songhai, a consular official, said Friday that the Chinese staffers were released Thursday afternoon with help from the Myanmar government.

From Seattle Times

In West Africa, the fall of the Songhai Empire and ensuing civil wars left its people vulnerable for colonial exploitation and enslavement.

From Time