Somali

American  

[soh-mah-lee, suh-] / soʊˈmɑ li, sə- /

noun

plural

Somalis,

plural

Somali

1. a member of a people speaking a Cushitic language and living primarily in Somalia, Somaliland, and adjacent regions.

2. the Cushitic language of the Somali ethnic group.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Somalia, its people, or their language.

2. of or relating to the Somali ethnic group or their language.

Somali British  

/ səʊˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

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

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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Somalia, the Somalis, or their language

Etymology

Origin of Somali

First recorded in 1800–10 as Samaulies (plural); from Somali Soomaali, a self-designation

Example Sentences

To understand Somali food, you have to grind up a batch of xawaash, the first recipe in Ifrah F. Ahmed’s “Soomaaliya.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In most reassigned cases, 88 percent, Somali immigrants were transferred to an out-of-state judge in Texas, Georgia, California, or Louisiana.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

IS-Somalia, based in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north-east of the country, was established by a Somali national, Abdulqadir Mumin.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabaab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

The Somali Bantu presented an extraordinary challenge for resettlement officials.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John