Abyssinian

English

Alternative forms

• Abissinian (archaic)

Etymology

From Abyssinia +‎ -n.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.ɪˈsɪn.ɪ.ən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.ɪˈsɪn.i.ən/, /ˌæb.əˈsɪn.i.ən/, /ˌæb.əˈsɪn.jən/
• Rhymes: -ɪnjən, -ɪniən

Adjective

Abyssinian (not comparable)

1. (dated) Of or pertaining to Ethiopia or its inhabitants; Ethiopian. [from 1697]

   Synonyms: Abassian, Abyssin

   • 2019, Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King, Canongate Books (2020), page 335:

     Our men are frightened of these Abyssinian women.

2. Of or pertaining to the Abyssinian Church. [from 1687]
   • 1922, H[erbert] Weld Blundell, “Appendix G. Christianity in Abyssinia.”, in The Royal Chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769–1840, with Translation and Notes, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: At the University Press, →OCLC, page 519:

     This king [Fasilides] immediately restored the Abyssinian doctrines, and hunted out the Jesuit missionaries.

   • 1945 August, Gregory Dix, “Variable Prayers in the Eastern Rites”, in The Shape of the Liturgy, 2nd edition, Westminster: Dacre Press, →OCLC, chapter XIV (Variable Prayers at the Eucharist), page 530:

     The Abyssinian rite has fourteen different eucharistic prayers for use on different liturgical days; […]

   • 1952, Henry H[ersch] Hart, “The Ships’ Companies”, in Sea Road to the Indies: An Account of the Voyages and Exploits of the Portuguese Navigators, Together with the Life and Times of Dom Vasco da Gama, Capitão-Mór, Viceroy of India and Count of Vidigueira, London; Edinburgh; Glasgow: William Hodge and Company, Limited, →OCLC, page 111:

     Among the documents, according to the chronicler [João de] Barros, was information brought to Lisbon by an Abyssinian priest, one Lucas Marcos, in 1490.

Derived terms

• Abyssinian banana
• Abyssinian cat
• Abyssinian fox
• Abyssinian gold
• Abyssinian mohr
• Abyssinianness
• Abyssinian primrose
• Abyssinian tea
• Abyssinian well

Translations

of or pertaining to Abyssinia

• Amharic: ሐበሻ (ḥäbäša)
• Bengali: হাবশী (bn) (habśī)
• Bulgarian: абиси́нски m (abisínski)
• Catalan: abissini
• Czech: habešský (cs)
• Danish: abessinsk (da)
• Finnish: abessinialainen
• French: abyssinien (fr)
• Galician: abisinio (gl)
• German: abessinisch (de)
• Greek: αβησσυνιακός (avissyniakós)
• Hindi: हब्शी m (habśī), हबशी (hi) m (habśī), हबसी (hi) m (habsī), हबशिन (hi) f (habśin)
• Hungarian: abesszin (hu)
• Irish: Aibisíneach
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abessinsk, abyssinsk, abyssinisk

  Nynorsk: abessinsk

• Polish: abisyński (pl)
• Portuguese: abissínio (pt)
• Romanian: abisinian
• Russian: абисси́нский (ru) (abissínskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: абисински m

  Roman: abisinski m

• Spanish: abisinio (es)
• Swedish: abessinsk (sv)
• Tagalog: Abisinyo
• Ukrainian: абіссі́нський (uk) (abissínsʹkyj)

Noun

(sense 1)

Abyssinian (plural Abyssinians)

1. A short-haired domestic cat descended from cats of ancient Egypt, making it one of the oldest breeds in the world. [from 1871]

   Synonyms: Aby, Abyssinian cat

2. A member of the Abyssinian Church. [from 1693]
3. (dated) A native of Ethiopia. [from 1703]

   Synonyms: Abassian, Abyssin

   • 2019, Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King, Canongate Books (2020), page 308:

     A group of Abyssinians are astride horses in brightly colored saddles at the top of the hill across the valley.

Translations

cat

• Bulgarian: абиси́нска ко́тка f (abisínska kótka)
• Danish: abessiner (da) c, abyssinier (da) c
• Finnish: abessinialainen
• German: Abessinier (de) f
• Irish: cat Aibisíneach m
• Japanese: アビシニアン (abishinian)
• Korean: 아비시니안 (abisinian)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abyssiner m

• Polish: kot abisyński m, abisyńczyk (pl) m (colloquial), abisynka (pl) f (colloquial)
• Portuguese: abissínio (pt) m
• Romanian: abisiniană f
• Russian: абисси́нец (ru) m (abissínec), абисси́нка (ru) f (abissínka), абисси́нский кот m (abissínskij kot), абисси́нская ко́шка f (abissínskaja kóška)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: абисинка f

  Roman: abisinka f

a native of Abyssinia

• Amharic: ሐበሻ (ḥäbäša)
• Bengali: হাবশী (bn) (habśī)
• Bulgarian: абиси́нец (bg) m (abisínec), абиси́нка (bg) f (abisínka)
• Czech: Habešan (cs) m
• Danish: abessiner (da) c
• Finnish: abessinialainen
• French: Abyssinien (fr) m, Abyssinienne (fr) f
• Galician: abisinio (gl) m
• German: Abessinier (de) m or m pl
• Greek: Αβησσυνός (el) m (Avissynós)
• Hindi: हब्शी m (habśī), हबशी (hi) m (habśī), हबसी (hi) m (habsī), हबशिन (hi) f (habśin)
• Hungarian: abesszin (hu)
• Irish: Aibisíneach m
• Italian: abissino (it) m
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: абиссинец (abissińec), абиссин (abissin)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abessinier (no), abyssiner m

  Nynorsk: abessiniar

• Persian: حبشی (fa) (habaši)
• Polish: Abisyńczyk (pl) m pers, Abisynka (pl) f
• Portuguese: abissínio (pt) m
• Romanian: abisinian m, abisiniană f
• Russian: абисси́нец (ru) m (abissínec), абисси́нка (ru) f (abissínka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: абисинац m

  Latin: abisinac (sh) m

• Spanish: abisinio (es) m, abisinia (es) f

Proper noun

Abyssinian

1. The Amharic language. [from 1660]

Translations

Amharic — see Amharic