Asante
/əˈsɑːntɛɪ/noun
A Swahili expression meaning “thank you,” also used as a personal or ethnic name referring to the Asante people of Ghana.
Did you know?The Swahili expression is generally traced to Arabic aḥsanta, meaning “you have done well,” linking everyday gratitude to an older verbal act of affirming someone’s goodness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
Ḥ-S-N
“A root associated with goodness, beauty, and excellence”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥasuna
“To be good or beautiful”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
aḥsanta
“You have done well; you have acted excellently”
Medieval period
Swahili
asante
“Thank you; praise or gratitude expressed to another person”
Modern English
English
Asante
“A Swahili word used in English, and the name of a major Akan people and historical kingdom in Ghana”