somali
/soʊˈmɑːli/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A Cushitic language spoken mainly in Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti, and eastern Kenya.
Uncountable
noun
An ethnic group native to the Somali Peninsula; a Somali, a group of Somalis, the Somalis.
Countable
noun
A person from a Somali-majority republic, state, or region, including but not limited to: the Republic of Somaliland, the Somali region of Ethiopia (often called the Ogaden, but more neutrally the Somali region), or autonomous states within Somalia's federal system such as Puntland.
Countable
adj
Of, from, or pertaining to Somalia, the Somali people or language.
Example Sentences
- "Somali is the primary language of Somalia"
- "I'm learning Somali."
- "Historically, Somalis were a nomadic people herding camels, goats, and sheep. Nowadays, many if not most Somalis are urbanized people."
- "Authorized by the court to engage in racial profiling, masked federal agents continue to descend upon “Democrat-run” cities, subjecting Latinos and now Somalis to ongoing abuse."
- "The Somali are an ethnic group of Cushitic origin indigenous to the Somali Peninsula. Their language is called Somali."
Etymology
From or akin to Somali Soomaali.
Word Breakdown
- Root: Soomaali
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /soʊˈmɑːli/
- British English: /səˈmɑːli/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
proto-Macro-Somali
Wiktionary’s coverage of Somali terms
pan-Somalism
Somali crow
Somali giraffe
Somali myrrhor
Somali ostrich
Somali wild ass
Frequently Paired Words
Wiktionary’s coverage of Somali terms