Swahili

[ swah-hee-lee ]

noun

, plural Swa·hi·lis, (especially collectively) Swa·hi·li

1. a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.
2. Also Ki·swa·hi·li or ki-Swa·hi·li []. 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.

Swahili

/ swɑːˈhiːlɪ /

noun

1. Also calledKiswahili 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. Also calledMswahiliWaswahili -lis-li a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar

adjective

1. of or relating to the Swahilis or their language

Derived Forms

• Swaˈhilian, adjective

Other Words From

• Swa·hi·li·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Swahili¹

First recorded in 1810–15; from Swahili, from Arabic sawāḥiliy “of or pertaining to the coast,” equivalent to sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil “coast” + -iy adjective and noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Swahili¹

C19: from Arabic sawāhil coasts

Example Sentences

Jenkins played baritone ukulele, harmonica, hummed and used bird calls in her work while pulling influences from Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Korean, Swahili and other languages.

From Los Angeles Times

She is the head of Usikimye - Swahili for "don't be silent".

From BBC

They chanted in Swahili while they psyched themselves up on the airport tarmac, as did a second batch of 200 Kenyan officers who landed three weeks later.

From BBC

"They were fascinated by a girl on a motorcycle and interested in my bad Swahili," she laughs.

From BBC

When Kamungo arrived in Abilene, a place he had not previously heard of, he spoke Swahili and French but no English.

From Los Angeles Times