ethiopian
/ˌi.θiˈoʊ.pi.ən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.51 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
5
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A very skinny person, referencing the historic malnutrition and poverty in Ethiopia.
Derogatory; Slang
adj
Of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia, the Ethiopian people or the Ethiopian culture.
Example Sentences
- "Ahmed was also appreciated for his talents as a showman, because he had no equal in letting loose the famous eskista, with the heaving quiver of the torso and shoulders, of which Ethiopians are so fond. Eskista is the dance of the Amharas, enhancing amorous repartee and expressing collective jubilation."
- "So why is Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, seven years and eight months “behind” much of the rest of the world? And how does that work for Ethiopians living on an increasingly interconnected planet that mostly operates in an entirely different era?"
- "The Ethiopian eunuch."
- "One of Ethiopia's most popular traditional dances, eskista, which is said to have originated from the lower highlands of Ethiopia's Amhara region, exemplifies the type of multi-functionality that Martin (1967) acknowledges as it is performed in many different settings of the Ethiopian community."
- "A local official, Habtamu Fetena, had earlier told state-run broadcaster, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) that children were among the dead and the death toll was likely to increase."
- "Any person of color recognized his Ethiopian heritage immediately. That nose, those lips, good hair or no."
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek Αἰθῐ́οψ (Aithĭ́ops) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́α (-ĭ́a) Ancient Greek Αἰθῐοπῐ́ᾱ (Aithĭopĭ́ā)bor. Latin Aethiopiabor. English Aethiopia English Ethiopia Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Old French -ainder. Middle English -an English -an English Ethiopian From Ethiopia + -an.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌi.θiˈoʊ.pi.ən/
- British English: /ˌiː.θiˈəʊ.pɪ.ən/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Ethiopians (plural)
Æthiopian (alternative, archaic)
more Ethiopian (comparative)
most Ethiopian (superlative)