Oromo
/ˈɔːr.ə.moʊ/noun
A Cushitic ethnic group and language primarily associated with Ethiopia and neighboring regions.
Did you know?Oromo is an ethnonym from the Oromo language itself, not a spooky root word, but names like this often preserve the oldest living memory of a people long after empires try to rename them.
Etymological Timeline
Modern Oromo
Oromo
Oromo
“The self-name of the Oromo people and language.”
19th-20th Century
English
Oromo
“Borrowed into English as the name of the people and their language.”
Earlier historical usage
Amharic/European sources
Galla
“An older exonym used in some historical sources for the Oromo, now widely rejected.”
Pre-modern period
Oromo
Oromo
“An ethnonym used by Oromo speakers for themselves.”