Swati, noun

Origin:
siSwatiShow more siSwati: from either siSwati the siSwati language, or emaSwati (the) Swazis (singular liSwati), both formed on the name of umSwati, a leader who consolidated the Swazi peoples during the 1840s.
Note:
Swazi (the Zulu name for this people and their language) is the usual form in South African English.
1. Usually siSwati /sɪˈswɑːti/, /si-/ [siSwati n. class prefix si-], also Seswati, Siswati: Swazi noun sense 2. Also attributive.
1975 Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. X. 372The Swazi language (siSwati) is typically Bantu, and is related to Zulu and Xhosa.
1976 P. Schachter in Studies in Afr. Linguistics Nov. (Suppl. 6) 211Like other Southern Bantu languages, siSwati has a class of consonants with a special affinity for low tone.
1979 S. Afr. Panorama May 16The name Swazi is derived from that of King Mswati, or Mswazi, and the language spoken by the Swazi is called siSwati.
1983 S. Afr. Digest 20 May 8Raised in Mbabane and schooled at Waterford, he regards English as his first language. Joint second come French, German and Seswati.
1986 True Love June 27Please reply with photos and try to write in English or Swati.
1987 Drum May 14After the service,..the Reverend Barnabas Mndebele presented Prince Charles with a Siswati Bible.
1990 P. Cullinan in M. Leveson Firetalk 10‘Who are you?’ I asked him in siSwati.
2. rare. Plural amaSwati. [In siSwati the plural prefix is ema- (the form ama- being isiZulu).] In the plural : The Swazis (see Swazi noun sense 1 a). Also attributive.
1977 World 28 Sept. 7The Soweto tycoon appointed chief of the Amaswati on the Witwatersrand last week...Among the Amaswati chiefs present were: Paramount Chief Jakonia Tshabalala and the Swazi chief of the Orange Free State, Chief Paulos Tshabalala.
Usually siSwati /sɪˈswɑːti/, /si-/ [siSwati n. class prefix si-], also Seswati, Siswati: Swazi noun sense 2. Also attributive.
In the plural :The Swazis (see Swazi noun sense 1 a). Also attributive.
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