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xeer

noun

The traditional legal system of Somalia, believed to predate Islam, in which elders serve as mediators and people are responsible for the actions of their families.

Scrabble 11

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Meanings

nounxeer (uncountable)

uncountableThe traditional legal system of Somalia, believed to predate Islam, in which elders serve as mediators and people are responsible for the actions of their families.
The key feature of the xeer is its common law character...
2007, Lars Buur, Helene Maria Kyed, State recognition and democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa
2 more examples
It arranges for settlement of collective debts, discusses xeer dealings with central authorities, maintains the group wells, and protects grazing areas.
1977, David D Laitin, Politics, language, and thought: the Somali experience
In rural areas, there is still confusion between xeer and shari'a.
2005, Walter Dostal, Wolfgang Kraus, Shattering tradition: custom, law and the individual in the Muslim Mediterranean

Cite this entry

APA

xeer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xeer

MLA

“xeer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xeer. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xeer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xeer.

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