shenzi

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noun

A barbarian (variously used to refer to foreigners, Europeans, or pagans)

OriginSwahili -shenzi →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounshenzi (plural shenzis)

plural shenzis

  1. AfricadatedA barbarian (variously used to refer to foreigners, Europeans, or pagans)

    We instructed our men to shoot first and inquire afterward, if a shenzi so much as showed himself in the clearing.

    1919, Stewart Edward White, The Land of Footprints, page 263

Origin

  1. Swahili-shenzi
  2. Englishshenzi

From Swahili -shenzi.

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shenzi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shenzi

MLA

“shenzi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shenzi. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shenzi,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shenzi.

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