Oromo

noun

Oro·​mo ȯ-ˈrō-(ˌ)mō How to pronounce Oromo (audio)
ō-
plural Oromos or Oromo
1
: a member of a Cushitic-speaking people of southern Ethiopia and adjacent parts of Kenya
2
: the Cushitic language of the Oromo

Examples of Oromo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Despite his own Oromo background, Abiy’s first war was with the Oromo, whose youth movement had brought down his hapless predecessor, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024 Ethiopians’ longing for peace appeared to be answered in 2018 when Abiy Ahmed of the Oromo Democratic Party came to power, ushering in a wave of reforms and promising more inclusive governance. Patrick Vinck, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2023 For the new study, the researchers looked at genomic data from living humans, which included people from various groups: the Mende in Sierra Leone, the Nama in South Africa and the Amhara, Oromo and Gumuz groups in Ethiopia, according to Reuters. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 May 2023 The three Oromo bishops say armed protesters began a riot. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2023 Ethnic Oromo once hailed Abiy as the country’s first Oromo prime minister, but discontent has since emerged with the jailing of outspoken Oromo leaders. NBC News, 3 Nov. 2021 The original pick-me-up may have come from the nomadic Oromo of Ethiopia, who made energy bars from ground coffee beans and animal fat sometime in the first millennium. Rebecca Coffey, Discover Magazine, 29 Sep. 2014

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Oromo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Oromo (western dialect) oromoo, a self-designation, probably from obsolete plural of orma person, stranger

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Oromo was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near Oromo

Cite this Entry

“Oromo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Oromo. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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