First Known Use: 1814
Dictionary
Swahili
noun Swa·hi·li \swä-ˈhē-lē\
: a language widely used in East Africa and the Congo region
plural Swahili or Swahilis
Full Definition of SWAHILI
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
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Origin of SWAHILI
Arabic sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil coast
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