Swahilis

Variant of Swahili

Swahili definition

Swa·hili (swä hē′lē)

noun

  1. pl. Swahilis -·lis or Swahili -·li a member of a people living on Zanzibar and the nearby mainland
  2. the Northern Bantu language of this people, characterized by a vocabulary with many Arabic roots and used as a lingua franca in EC Africa and parts of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Etymology: < Ar sawāḥil, pl. of sāḥil, coast + -i, belonging to

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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