Shona

noun

Sho·​na ˈshō-nə 

plural Shona or Shonas

1

: a member of any of a group of Bantu peoples of Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique

2

: the group of languages spoken by the Shona

Examples of Shona in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

James Price and Shona Heath’s sets are marvels of invention that treat the idea of period as a sandbox in which to run riot with a full range of architectural and decorative styles. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023

In Zimbabwe, the Shona people saw pubic hair as a symbol of fertility; in New Guinea, for the Kwoma people, hair was a symbol of beauty; and hair is seen as power for the Himba women. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 17 Aug. 2023

That thought prompted another: The book should be translated into Shona – one of Zimbabwe’s dominant languages. —Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2023

Manyika is Shona, born in Marondera and raised in the Midlands in Gweru, about halfway between Zimbabwe’s two biggest cities, Harare and Bulawayo. —Andrew Holter, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1