Somali

noun

So·​ma·​li sō-ˈmä-lē How to pronounce Somali (audio)
sə-
plural Somali or Somalis
1
: a member of a people of Somaliland
2
: the Cushitic language of the Somali
Somali adjective

Examples of Somali in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s the Afro-Asiatic family of languages spoken in northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of Western Asia, including Egyptian and Somali, plus Semitic languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Martha Barnette august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025 Mohamed helped Somali Community Link obtain state funding in 2023. Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Mar. 2025 Regulations translated into Hmong, Karen, Somali and Spanish will be available online in mid-September. Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 2 Aug. 2025 There is no single word in Somali for autism, Ali said, but the condition affects high rates of Somali children in Minnesota, health researchers have found. Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025 The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab used the same method to identify non-Muslims to kill during a series of terrorist attacks in Kenya. Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025 The Somali Disaster Management Agency has not yet released an official death toll but said assessment was underway to determine the extent of the damage. Omar Faruk, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025 Its origins go back to the start of the Somali Civil War, which was triggered in part by the fall of President Siad Barre's authoritarian regime in 1991. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025 The Somali Army, under the dictator Siad Barre, carried out widespread massacres. Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from or akin to Somali Soomaali

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Somali was in 1814

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Somali.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Somali. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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