swahili
swahili
UK[swəˈhiːli]US[swɑːˈhiːli]
n
A Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
n
A member of a people inhabiting the coast and islands of eastern Africa from Somalia to Mozambique.
Etymology
The word 'Swahili' originates from the Arabic plural noun 'sawāḥil', meaning 'coasts' or 'edges'. This term was adopted by the coastal Bantu communities of East Africa to refer to themselves as the 'people of the coast' (Wa-swahili, using the Bantu prefix 'wa-' for people). European explorers and linguists later borrowed this term into English to denote both the people and their language. Thus, the modern meaning evolved directly from a geographic descriptor for coastal dwellers into the name of a major African language and ethnic group.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Arabic, adopted into English via Swahili itself. It is not productively segmented using English morphemes.
Examples
Swahili is one of the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania.
She is learning Swahili to better communicate during her work in East Africa.
The cultural traditions of the Swahili people reflect a rich blend of African, Arab, and Persian influences.