Standard Lemma guide

Ethiopian

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌiː.θiˈəʊ.pɪ.ən/
  • General-American: /ˌi.θiˈoʊ.pi.ən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IY2 TH IY0 OW1 P IY0 AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia, the Ethiopian people or the Ethiopian culture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of, from, or pertaining to Africa and the African diaspora.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person from Ethiopia or of Ethiopian descent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A black-skinned person, especially one from Africa.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Examples

  • The Ethiopian eunuch.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A very skinny person, referencing the historic malnutrition and poverty in Ethiopia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

of or relating to or characteristic of Ethiopia or its people or languages

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Ethiopian immigrants

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: African

Narrower terms: Amhara, Eritrean

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek Αἰθῐ́οψ (Aithĭ́ops) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh2 Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́α (-ĭ́a) Ancient Greek Αἰθῐοπῐ́ᾱ (Aithĭopĭ́ā)bor. Latin Aethiopiabor. English Aethiopia English Ethiopia Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin -ānus Old French -ainder. Middle English -an English -an English Ethiopian From Ethiopia + -an.

Across languages

Translations

115 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: Ethiopies — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Afrikaans: Etiopies — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Amharic: ሐበሻ (ḥäbäša) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Asturian: etíope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Asturian: etiope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Asturian: etiópicu — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Belarusian: эфіо́пскі (efiópski) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Bengali: হাবশী (habśī) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Catalan: etiòpic — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Catalan: etíop — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Czech: etiopský — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Danish: etiopisk — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Dutch: Ethiopisch — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Esperanto: etiopa — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Finnish: etiopialainen — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • French: éthiopien — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Galician: etíope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • German: äthiopisch — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Greek: αιθιοπικός (aithiopikós) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Ancient Greek: Αἰθιοπικός (Aithiopikós) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hawaiian: ʻAikiopa — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hindi: हब्शी (habśī) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hindi: हबशी (habśī) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hindi: हबसी (habsī) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hindi: हबशिन (habśin) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hungarian: etióp — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Hungarian: etiópiai — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Italian: etiope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Italian: etiopico — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Kazakh: эфиоптық (éfioptyq) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Kazakh: эфиопиялық (éfiopiälyq) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Malay: Habsyi — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Marathi: इथियोपियन (ithiyopiyan) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Norwegian Bokmål: etiopisk — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etiopisk — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Old English: Siġelhearwen — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Polish: etiopski — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Portuguese: etíope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Portuguese: etiópico — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Punjabi: ਇਥੋਪੀਆਈ (ithopīāī) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Romanian: etiopian — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Russian: эфио́пский (efiópskij) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Serbo-Croatian: етиопљански — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Serbo-Croatian: etiopljanski — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Spanish: etíope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Spanish: etiopio — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Spanish: etiopiano (disused) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Swahili: Kihabeshi — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Swedish: etiopisk — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Tagalog: Etiyope — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያዊ (ʾityop̣yawi) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያዊት (ʾityop̣yawit) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Ukrainian: ефіо́пський (efiópsʹkyj) — of, from, or pertaining to Ethiopia
  • Afrikaans: Ethiopiër — person
  • Afrikaans: Etiopiër — person
  • Albanian: abisinas — person
  • Amharic: አበሻ (ʾäbäša) — person
  • Asturian: etíope — person
  • Asturian: etiope — person
  • Bengali: হাবশী (habśī) — person
  • Catalan: etíop — person
  • Czech: Etiopan — person
  • Danish: etiopier — person
  • Dutch: Ethiopiër — person
  • Dutch: Ethiopische — person
  • Esperanto: etiopo — person
  • Finnish: etiopialainen — person
  • French: Éthiopien — person
  • Galician: etíope — person
  • German: Äthiopier — person
  • German: Äthiopierin — person
  • Greek: Αιθίοπας (Aithíopas) — person
  • Ancient Greek: Αἰθίοψ (Aithíops) — person
  • Hawaiian: ʻAikiopa — person
  • Hindi: हब्शी (habśī) — person
  • Hindi: हबशी (habśī) — person
  • Hindi: हबसी (habsī) — person
  • Hindi: हबशिन (habśin) — person
  • Hungarian: etióp — person
  • Hungarian: etiópiai — person
  • Italian: etiopico — person
  • Italian: etiopica — person
  • Italian: etiope — person
  • Kazakh: эфиоп (éfiop) — person
  • Kazakh: эфиопиялық (éfiopiälyq) — person
  • Malay: Habsyi — person
  • Marathi: इथियोपियन (ithiyopiyan) — person
  • Norwegian Bokmål: etiopier — person
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etiopiar — person
  • Old English: Siġelhearwa — person
  • Polish: Etiopczyk — person
  • Polish: Etiopka — person
  • Portuguese: etíope — person
  • Punjabi: ਇਥੋਪੀਆਈ (ithopīāī) — person
  • Romanian: etiopian — person
  • Romanian: etiopiană — person
  • Russian: эфио́п (efióp) — person
  • Russian: эфио́пка (efiópka) — person
  • Serbo-Croatian: Етио́пљанин — person
  • Serbo-Croatian: Етиопљанка — person
  • Serbo-Croatian: Etiópljanin — person
  • Serbo-Croatian: Etiopljanka — person
  • Spanish: etíope — person
  • Spanish: etiopio — person
  • Spanish: etiopiano (disused) — person
  • Swahili: Mhabeshi — person
  • Swedish: etiopier — person
  • Tagalog: Etiyope — person
  • Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያዊ (ʾityop̣yawi) — person
  • Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያዊት (ʾityop̣yawit) — person
  • Turkish: Etiyopyalı — person
  • Ukrainian: ефіо́п (efióp) — person
  • Ukrainian: ефіо́пка (efiópka) — person
  • Ukrainian: етіо́п (etióp) — person
  • Ukrainian: етіо́пка (etiópka) — person
Real reading context

Ethiopian in complete knowledge articles