sub-Saharan

sub·Sa·ha·ran

adjective

Of or pertaining to that part of Africa which lies south of the Sahara Desert.

Meanings

sub-Saharan1

adjectivesub-Saharan (not comparable)

alternative rare Sub-Saharan · alternative rare Subsaharan · alternative rare subsaharan

  1. not comparableOf or pertaining to that part of Africa which lies south of the Sahara Desert.
    1 more example

    While the average cost of sending money to sub-Saharan Africa is the highest in the world, the cost of digital remittances to the region is less than the global average. If more Africans sent money home via digital services rather than cash, average remittance fees should fall, but receiving money online requires the internet, which is used in sub-Saharan Africa by only 37% of people, according to the World Bank.

    2025 February 25, Joshua Korber Hoffman, “It costs more to send money to sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world: these companies are trying to change that”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2025
nounsub-Saharan (plural sub-Saharans)

plural sub-Saharans · alternative rare Sub-Saharan · alternative rare Subsaharan · alternative rare subsaharan

  1. A native or inhabitant of that part of Africa which lies south of the Sahara.

Sub-Saharan2

adjectiveSub-Saharan (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative spelling of sub-Saharan.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. EnglishSahara
  7. EnglishSaharan
  8. Englishsub-Saharan

From sub- + Saharan.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan subsaharià
  • subsahariàpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Chinese Mandarin 撒南
  • 撒南 (Sā nán)pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Czech subsaharský
  • subsaharskýpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Dutch Sub-Saharaans
  • Sub-Saharaanspertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Finnish Saharan alapuolinen, Saharan eteläpuolinen
  • Saharan alapuolinenpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
  • Saharan eteläpuolinenpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
French sub-saharien, subsaharien
  • sub-saharienpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
  • subsaharienpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
German Subsahara-
  • Subsahara-pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Greek υποσαχάριος
  • υποσαχάριος (yposachários)pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Hungarian szubszaharai
  • szubszaharaipertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Icelandic sunnan Sahara
  • sunnan Saharapertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Irish fo-Shahárach
  • fo-Shahárachpertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Italian subsahariano
  • subsaharianopertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Polish subsaharyjski
  • subsaharyjskipertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Portuguese subsaariano, subsariano
  • subsaarianopertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
  • subsarianopertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Russian субсаха́рский, южне́е Саха́ры
  • субсаха́рский (subsaxárskij)pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
  • южне́е Саха́ры (južnéje Saxáry)pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
  • к ю́гу от Саха́ры (k júgu ot Saxáry)pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Spanish subsahariano
  • subsaharianopertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara
Cite this entry
APA

sub-Saharan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sub-Saharan

MLA

“sub-Saharan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sub-Saharan. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sub-Saharan,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sub-Saharan.

Source: sub-Saharan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.