Maasai

noun

variants or Masai
plural Maasai or Maasais or Masai or Masais
1
: a member of a pastoral and hunting people of Kenya and Tanzania
2
: the Nilotic language of the Maasai people

Examples of Maasai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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That river cruise also functions as the spine of longer 9- to 15-night journeys that fold in Victoria Falls, the Cape Winelands, Cape Town, Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. — Condé Nast Traveler, 25 June 2026 These accommodation tents and public venues (dining room, lounge and bar) reflect the form of Maasai dwellings. — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026 Many of the camp's guides and conservation partners come from local Maasai communities. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 The biking will be through remote Maasai lands, villages, and savannah. — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for Maasai

Word History

Etymology

Maasai il-máásáì, a self-designation

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Maasai was in 1857

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Cite this Entry

“Maasai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Maasai. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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