Meanings
proper noun
- A region of Africa, between the Sahara to the north and a more humid zone (Sudan) to the south.
As Russia’s foothold in Africa expands – notably in the mineral-rich Sahel region that is beset by recurring coups, armed rebellion and extremist insurgency – anti-Western sentiments, partly fueled by Russian propaganda, are engineering the exit of Western troops from swathes of territory.
2025 January 18, Nimi Princewill, “Across Africa, Russia is growing in influence. What might Moscow want?”, in CNN - An administrative region of Tunisia, in the central east part of the country.
Origin
- Arabicسَاحِل
- Arabicسَاحِل
- EnglishSahel
Borrowed from Arabic سَاحِل (sāḥil, “border of the desert, coastline”).
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 薩赫勒 /萨赫勒
- 薩赫勒 /萨赫勒 (Sàhèlè)A region in Africa
Esperanto Sahelo
- SaheloA region in Africa
Finnish Sahel
- SahelA region in Africa
German Sahelzone, Sahel
- SahelzoneA region in Africa
- SahelA region in Africa
Greek Σαχέλ
- Σαχέλ (Sachél)A region in Africa
Hindi साहिल
- साहिल (sāhil)A region in Africa
Japanese サヘル
- サヘル (Saheru)A region in Africa
Korean 사헬
- 사헬 (sahel)A region in Africa
Polish Sahel
- SahelA region in Africa
Portuguese Sael, Sahel
- SaelA region in Africa
- SahelA region in Africa
Russian Сахель
- Сахель (Saxelʹ)A region in Africa
Spanish Sahel
- SahelA region in Africa
Thai ซาเฮล
- ซาเฮลA region in Africa
Ukrainian Сахель
- Сахель (Saxelʹ)A region in Africa
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
Sahel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sahel
MLA
“Sahel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sahel. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sahel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sahel.
Source: Sahel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.