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Con·go·lese (kŏng′gō-lēz, -lēs)
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adj.
1. Of or relating to either the Republic of the Congo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo or to their peoples, languages, or cultures.
2. Of or relating to the region surrounding the Congo River or its peoples, languages, or cultures.
n. pl. Congolese
a. A native or inhabitant of the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the area surrounding the Congo River.
b. A person of Congolese ancestry.
[French congolais, from Congo, Congo (probably on the model of angolais, Angolan).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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