Abyssinia

/æ.bɪˈsɪn.i.ə/ noun

Definition

The ancient name for the country now called Ethiopia, used historically in European literature and geography.

Etymology

From Greek 'Abyssinia,' possibly derived from Arabic 'al-ḥabasha' (Abyssinia), which may come from Ge'ez 'ḥabaś' (mixed race); the name was used by Greek geographers for highland kingdoms in the Horn of Africa.

Kelly Says

Ethiopia was called Abyssinia until 1931, and the name's origin is mysterious—it might come from a word meaning 'mixed race' because the highland kingdom had mixed Semitic and Cushitic populations!

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