Lexic.us

Definition of Swahili

1. Noun. The most widely spoken Bantu languages; the official language of Kenya and Tanzania and widely used as a lingua franca in east and central Africa.

Definition of Swahili

1. Proper noun. An agglutinative language widely spoken in East Africa. Born of the hybridization of the Arabic and Bantu cultures, it was the language of the traders in East Africa, and spread along the routes of trade. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Swahili

Literary usage of Swahili

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Subject Index of the Modern Works Added to the Library of the British Museum ...by George Knottesford Fortescue by George Knottesford Fortescue (1902)
"English Ronder for swahili AFRICAN LANGUAGES—continued. swahili HYMN BOOK. swahili Hymn Book i Arabic character, pp. 150. Lond. 1898. 8*. 4430. aaa. ..."

2. The Man-eaters of Tsavo: And Other East African Adventures by John Henry Patterson (1908)
"Still there was of course a good number of swahili among my workmen, ... The swahili live principally along the coast of British East Africa and at Zanzibar ..."

3. Bulletin of the New York Public Library by New York Public Library (1909)
"Introduction to swahili. For the use of travellers, students, and others. ... A handbook of the swahili language as spoken at Zanzibar. Edited.. .by. ..."

4. The Big Game of Africa by Richard Tjader (1910)
"APPENDIX I. THE KI-swahili LANGUAGE THE Ki-swahili language, of the Bantu group, is not only spoken by the swahili coast people of British and German East ..."

5. The Big Game of Africa by Richard Tjader (1910)
"APPENDIX I. THE KI-swahili LANGUAGE THE Ki-swahili language, of the Bantu group, is not only spoken by the swahili coast people of British and German East ..."

6. A Comparative Grammar of the South African Bantu Language: Comprising Those by J. Torrend (1891)
"51) swahili. 84. — This is said to be the most arabized of all the Bantu languages ... For, arabized as it is, swahili remains without some Semitic features ..."

Other Resources: