Galla

American  

[gal-uh] / ˈgæl ə /

noun

plural

Gallas,

plural

Galla

1. Offensive. Oromo.

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Galla British  

/ ˈɡælə /

noun

1. a member of a tall dark-skinned people inhabiting Somalia and SE Ethiopia

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Cushitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages

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Sensitive Note

The Oromo (a nomadic, pastoral people of Ethiopia and Kenya) were formerly called Galla by other Ethiopians, and this name is common in historical texts through the early 20th century. However, Galla was never used by the Oromo themselves, and it is now considered a derogatory name for the people.

Etymology

Origin of Galla

First recorded in 1875–80; origin uncertain; perhaps from Amharic or from Arabic ghalīẓ “wild, rough.”

Example Sentences

Ms. Galla, who has won Olympic gold three times for cross-country skiing, took second in the competition behind YouTuber Hampus Hedström.

From Washington Times • May 29, 2023

“There is no city anymore,” Marina Galla said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2022

Galla found Samuel in a pool of vomit, and gathered him into his arms.

From Time • Oct. 2, 2014

“Chris is always in the right place at the right time, and that’s not a luck thing,” Dave Galla, one of Drury’s Trumbull teammates, told me when I wrote an article about them.

From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2011

The critic’s observations on the pronunciation of Amháric and Galla words are so elaborate a specie men of trifling, that it would be wholly lost labour to wade through them.

From The Highlands of Ethiopia by Harris, William Cornwallis