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Ken·ya

(kĕnyə, kēn-)

A country of east-central Africa bordering on the Indian Ocean. The site of many fossils of early human species, Kenya was inhabited during historic times by various Cushitic, Nilotic, and Bantu peoples including the Kikuyu and the Masai. The coast was settled by Arab traders in the 8th century AD and later (16th-18th century) by the Portuguese. Kenya became a British protectorate in 1890 and crown colony in 1920. It achieved independence in 1963. Nairobi is the capital and the largest city.

Kenyan adj. & n.

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Kenya

Kenya, Mount

An extinct volcano, 5,199 m (17,057 ft) high, in central Kenya. It is the second-highest peak in Africa.

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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