Maasai

noun

Maa·​sai mä-ˈsī How to pronounce Maasai (audio)
ˈmä-ˌsī
variants or Masai
plural Maasai or Maasais or Masai or Masais
1
: a member of a pastoral and hunting people of Kenya and Tanzania
2
: the Nilotic language of the Maasai people

Examples of Maasai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since 2022, the Tanzanian government had relocated more than 9,600 Maasai from this corner of the country. Kizito Makoye, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Oct. 2024 The Maasai Mara is iconic because of the Great Migration. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2024 By staying there, guests also contribute to the lodge’s Big Life Foundation which helps to preserve the Maasai traditional lifestyle and works to combat poaching. Laurie Werner, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 The irony is that those savannah lands only look like that because they’ve been grazed by the Maasai’s cattle for thousands of years. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for Maasai 

Word History

Etymology

Maasai il-máásáì, a self-designation

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Maasai was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near Maasai

Cite this Entry

“Maasai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Maasai. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!