Gullah

[ guhl-uh ]

noun

1. a member of a population of Black Americans inhabiting the Sea Islands and the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida.
2. a creolized form of English spoken by the Gullahs, containing many words and grammatical features derived from African languages.

Gullah

/ ˈɡʌlə /

noun

1. -lahs-lah a member of a Negroid people living on the Sea Islands or in the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, and NE Florida
2. the creolized English spoken by these people

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gullah¹

1730–40; of uncertain origin; variously identified with Angola or the Gola, a Liberian ethnic group

Example Sentences

Small communities descended from enslaved island populations in the South, known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia, are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida.

From BBC

Regional figures such as Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts and Gullah Geechee chef and foodways expert BJ Dennis have assisted in his decades-long search for underrepresented or forgotten ingredients, and, importantly, their origins.

From Salon

Descendants of enslaved island populations in the South became known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia.

From Seattle Times

Descendants of enslaved island populations in the South became known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia.

From Seattle Times

The sixth-generation native of Daufuskie Island, a once-thriving Gullah community, remembers relatives hosting meals and imparting life lessons on the next generation.

From Washington Times