DictionaryAI

Swahili

USswah-HEE-lee/swɑˈhili/UKswuh-HEE-lee/swəˈhiːli/

Noun pluralSwahilis, Swahili

2 meanings of Swahili

Practice

  1. 1
    proper noun
    A language spoken by millions of people in East Africa, especially in Tanzania and Kenya.

    Like English at an international airport: people from many different countries use it to understand each other.

    Millions of people in East Africa speak Swahili every day.

    She is learning Swahili so she can talk with her grandmother in Tanzania.

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A person from one of the groups of people living along the east coast of Africa.

    Our guide in Mombasa was a Swahili who grew up by the sea.

    Many Swahilis work as fishermen and traders along the coast.

    Note

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Origin

It comes from Arabic words meaning "of the coasts," from the word for "coast."