asili

A1S1I1L1I1

noun

The central seed or "germinating matrix" of a culture.

OriginSwahili asili ← Arabic أَصْل (ʔaṣl) →
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Meanings

nounasili (uncountable)
  1. uncountableanthropologyThe central seed or "germinating matrix" of a culture.

    Law, religion and worldview emerge from the chrysalis of the asili. In western culture, the asili is characterised by separation and universalism.

    2002, Susan Hawthorne, Wild Politics: Feminism, Globalisation, Bio/diversity, page 381

Origin

  1. Arabicأَصْل (ʔaṣl)
  2. Swahiliasili
  3. Englishasili

From Swahili asili (“origin”); introduced in this sense by Marimba Ani.

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Salii
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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