Gullah

noun

Gul·​lah ˈgə-lə How to pronounce Gullah (audio)
1
: a member of a group of Black people inhabiting the sea islands and coastal districts of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida
2
: an English-based creole spoken by the Gullahs that is marked by vocabulary and grammatical elements from various African languages

Examples of Gullah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sapelo Island's Gullah Geechee residents are feeling a wave of emotions a week after a gangway collapse during a community celebration left seven people dead. Axios Atlanta, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024 The October 19 tragedy is the latest chapter in the struggles of one of the last surviving Gullah Geechee communities in the Georgia Sea Islands. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024 The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on plantations in the coastal regions of the southeastern United States. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024 The 20 who plunged into the murky Duplin River had traveled to Sapelo Island last weekend to celebrate the Gullah Geechee people, a community with a unique blend of African culture and American life, descended from Africans who were enslaved on coastal plantations in the South. Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Gullah 

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gullah was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near Gullah

Cite this Entry

“Gullah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gullah. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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