Swahili

noun

Swa·​hi·​li swä-ˈhē-lē How to pronounce Swahili (audio)
plural Swahili or Swahilis
1
: a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Zanzibar and the adjacent coast
2
: a Bantu language that is a trade and governmental language over much of East Africa and in the Congo region

Examples of Swahili in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Current efforts are making AI more inclusive and accessible, especially by supporting low-resource languages that have traditionally been overlooked, like a recent dataset developed for Swahili. Olga Megorskaya, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 Others underline the interconnectedness of history and culture, like Zein Abdullah's chicken biryani which celebrates the prevalent Swahili culture that runs up and down the East Coast of Africa—and Arab influences on African cuisine. Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2024 Since 2012, al Shabaab militants have been aggressively producing propaganda videos, social media campaigns, and slick e-magazines in English and Swahili, Kenya’s primary languages. Paul Hidalgo, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2014 Not set up for takeaway or delivery, Swahili Village immediately saw its sales plummet, Onyona told The Post. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for Swahili 

Word History

Etymology

Arabic sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil coast

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Swahili was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near Swahili

Cite this Entry

“Swahili.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Swahili. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Swahili

noun
Swa·​hi·​li swä-ˈhē-lē How to pronounce Swahili (audio)
plural Swahili or Swahilis
1
: a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Zanzibar and the adjacent coast of Africa
2
: a Bantu language that is a trade and governmental language over much of East Africa and in the Congo region
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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