Bambara

noun

Bam·​ba·​ra bam-ˈbär-ə 

plural Bambara or Bambaras

1

: a member of an African people of the upper Niger

2

: a Mande language of the Bambara people

Word History

Etymology

Arabic bambāra, probably ultimately from Bambara bamana, a self-designation

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1