Maasai

noun

Maa·​sai mä-ˈsī How to pronounce Maasai (audio)
ˈmä-ˌsī
variants or Masai
plural Maasai or Maasais or Masai or Masais
1
: a member of a pastoral and hunting people of Kenya and Tanzania
2
: the Nilotic language of the Maasai people

Examples of Maasai 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.
Drives are done in both the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the far-less-busy Mara North Conservancy, which is land privately owned by the Maasai but part of the same ecosystem. Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024 Older kids and teenagers often enjoy spear-throwing with a Maasai warrior, horseback riding, hot-air balloon rides, and canoeing in the Okavango Delta. Maija De Rijk-Uys, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024 Since 2022, the Tanzanian government had relocated more than 9,600 Maasai from this corner of the country. Kizito Makoye, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Oct. 2024 The Maasai Mara is iconic because of the Great Migration. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Maasai 

Word History

Etymology

Maasai il-máásáì, a self-designation

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Maasai was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near Maasai

Cite this Entry

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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