shetani

S1H4E1T1A1N1I1

noun

An evil spirit from East African mythology, often the subject of artwork.

OriginSwahili shetani ← Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān) →
RareScrabble 10
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounshetani (plural shetani)
  1. An evil spirit from East African mythology, often the subject of artwork.

Origin

  1. Arabicشَيْطَان (šayṭān)
  2. Swahilishetani
  3. Englishshetani

Borrowed from Swahili shetani, borrowed from Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān). Doublet of Satan and shaitan.

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

SethianTenishasthenianeatish
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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