Oromo

noun

Oro·​mo ȯ-ˈrō-(ˌ)mō How to pronounce Oromo (audio)
ō-
plural Oromos or Oromo
1
: a member of a Cushitic-speaking people of southern Ethiopia and adjacent parts of Kenya
2
: the Cushitic language of the Oromo

Examples of Oromo 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.
As late as December 2020, Meta lacked hate speech classifiers for Oromo and Amharic, two of the major languages spoken in Ethiopia. Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2022 The range is home to the Oromo, the largest, single ethnic group in Africa. David Escribano, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024 Protests that began last November, when Oromo farmers objected to government land grabs to expand the capital and clear space for potential foreign investors, have mushroomed into a movement against the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2016 Despite his own Oromo background, Abiy’s first war was with the Oromo, whose youth movement had brought down his hapless predecessor, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024 Ethiopians’ longing for peace appeared to be answered in 2018 when Abiy Ahmed of the Oromo Democratic Party came to power, ushering in a wave of reforms and promising more inclusive governance. Patrick Vinck, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2023 For the new study, the researchers looked at genomic data from living humans, which included people from various groups: the Mende in Sierra Leone, the Nama in South Africa and the Amhara, Oromo and Gumuz groups in Ethiopia, according to Reuters. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 May 2023 The three Oromo bishops say armed protesters began a riot. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2023 Ethnic Oromo once hailed Abiy as the country’s first Oromo prime minister, but discontent has since emerged with the jailing of outspoken Oromo leaders. NBC News, 3 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Oromo (western dialect) oromoo, a self-designation, probably from obsolete plural of orma person, stranger

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Oromo was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near Oromo

Cite this Entry

“Oromo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Oromo. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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