Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Acholi

noun
Acho·​li
variants: or less commonly Acoli \ ə-​ˈchō-​lē \
plural Acholi or Acholis also Acoli or Acolis

Definition of Acholi

1a : a nomadic pastoral people of northern Uganda
b : a member of such people
2 : a Nilotic language of the Acholi people

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

First Known Use of Acholi

1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Acholi

Statistics for Acholi

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Acholi

The first known use of Acholi was in 1874

See more words from the same year

Comments on Acholi

What made you want to look up Acholi? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

disavow

to deny responsibility for

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

What did you just call me?! A Quiz

  • rows-of-various-emoji
  • If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games