Sawahil
/saːˈwaː.ħil/noun
An Arabic plural meaning “coasts” or “shorelands,” also appearing in the historical origin of the name Swahili.
Did you know?“Swahili” developed from Arabic sawāḥil, the plural of sāḥil, because Arabic-speaking travelers described East Africa as the lands of the coasts.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ṣ-ḥ-l
“Reconstructed root associated with the shore or coast; the exact pre-Arabic form is uncertain.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
sāḥil
“Coast, shore, or boundary between land and sea.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
sawāḥil
“Coasts or shorelands; the broken plural of sāḥil.”
Medieval Period
Arabic
bilād al-sawāḥil
“The coastal lands, especially the East African littoral in Arabic geographical writing.”
19th Century
English
Swahili
“The name of the Bantu language and culture associated with the East African coast, derived through Arabic sawāḥil.”