Ethi·o·pi·an
ˌē-thē-ˈō-pē-ən 
1
: a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia
2
: a member of any of the mythical or actual peoples usually described by the ancient Greeks as dark-skinned and living far to the south
3
archaic
: a Black person
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the inhabitants or the country of Ethiopia
2
: of, relating to, or being the biogeographic region that includes Africa south of the Sahara, southern Arabia, and sometimes Madagascar and the adjacent islands
Examples of Ethiopian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Judd Devermont, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024
Coffee Talk Manic birds, excitable goats and other invigorating tales behind the birth of our java addiction
By Sonja Anderson
Get your goat
According to legend, a ninth-century Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi noticed his goats acting hyper after eating berries from a strange tree.
—Bronwen Everill, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2024
Somehow, though, the D.C. area — which hosts the world’s largest Ethiopian community outside of Africa — has been a rare stop on his itinerary.
—Michael J. West, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
His oldest brother, Hailu, gave her a $10 Ethiopian birr, with which Ibssa was able to start his journey toward education.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for Ethiopian 
Adjective
Iran, Turkey, and the UAE have supplied drones to Ethiopian security forces to turn the tide in Addis Ababa’s war against ethnic Tigrayans.
—Judd Devermont, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024
Coffee Talk Manic birds, excitable goats and other invigorating tales behind the birth of our java addiction
By Sonja Anderson
Get your goat
According to legend, a ninth-century Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi noticed his goats acting hyper after eating berries from a strange tree.
—Bronwen Everill, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2024
Somehow, though, the D.C. area — which hosts the world’s largest Ethiopian community outside of Africa — has been a rare stop on his itinerary.
—Michael J. West, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
His oldest brother, Hailu, gave her a $10 Ethiopian birr, with which Ibssa was able to start his journey toward education.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for Ethiopian
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Ethiopian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Ethiopian
Cite this Entry
“Ethiopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ethiopian. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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