Wolof

noun

Wo·​lof ˈwō-ˌlȯf How to pronounce Wolof (audio)
: a Niger-Congo language of Senegambia

Examples of Wolof 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.
The film was shot in Wolof, Senegal’s lingua franca, which Diop herself labored to understand. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024 Migrants who’d survived similar journeys were extras on the film The majority of the film’s dialogue is in Wolof, a language Garrone does not speak. Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 The film is in French and Wolof with English subtitles. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 The vendors chatted with one another in Wolof, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and more. Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2024 Among the highest rates of genetic sharing between research participants and Catoctin individuals were people who identified as West Africa's Wolof and Mandinka peoples or Central Africa's Kongo people. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Wolof, speaker of Wolof, the Wolof language

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Wolof was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Wolof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Wolof. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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