Nyasaland

N1Y4A1S1A1L1A1N1D2
/naɪˈæsələnd//ˈnjɑːsələnd//-ˌlænd/

proper noun

A former colony of the United Kingdom in Africa; modern Malawi.

OriginEnglish land ← Middle English lond ← Old English land →
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalA former colony of the United Kingdom in Africa; modern Malawi.

    After independence, Rhodesia changed its name to Zimbabwe, Nyasaland to Malawi, and Bechuanaland to Botswana.

    2018 April 20, Bard Wilkinson, “Absolute monarch renames Swaziland ‘eSwatini’”, in CNN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
malawi

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*lendʰ-
  2. Proto-Germanic*landą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*land
  4. Old Englishland
  5. Middle Englishlond
  6. Englishland
  7. EnglishNyasaland

From Yao (Africa) nyasa (“lake”) in reference to Lake Malawi, plus the suffix -land.

More words from yao

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 尼亞薩蘭 /尼亚萨兰
  • 尼亞薩蘭 /尼亚萨兰 (Níyàsàlán)Translations
French Nyassaland
  • NyassalandTranslations
Polish Niasa
  • NiasaTranslations
Portuguese Niassalândia
  • NiassalândiaTranslations
Russian Нья́саленд
  • Нья́саленд (Nʹjásalend)Translations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

analysand
Cite this entry
APA

Nyasaland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nyasaland

MLA

“Nyasaland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nyasaland. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Nyasaland,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nyasaland.

Source: Nyasaland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.