name
Swahili
swuh-HEE-lee
name
1
A Bantu language widely spoken across East Africa, historically shaped by contact between Bantu and Arabic-speaking traders.
"Swahili is one of the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania."
noun
1
A member of the Bantu, Afro-Arab, and Comorian peoples of the East African coast.
"Swahili communities have traded along the coast for centuries."
How to Use Swahili
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe major trade language of East Africa, or a person belonging to the coastal peoples who speak it.
Word Forms
Swahilis plural, Swahili plural
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_____ is one of the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania.
Etymology
From Arabic sawahil, "coasts," describing the peoples of the East African coastline.