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Zairian

Zairian

8.1
A person from Zaire, the country now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • proper noun
  • /zeɪˈrɪən/
: zaireño
  • The church estimates that 17 million Zairians, just over half the national population, are Catholics.
  • Zairian economy
  • Zairian state
  • Zairian people

Examples

  • Nor will a new constitution instantaneously improve the lot of the ordinary Zairian.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The Zairian economy, however, still depends very much on Belgian financial capital and technical input.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Inside the bar, loud Zairian music issued from a stereo system.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The losers in these complex relations have been the Zairian people.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The history of the Zairian capital has been short and turbulent.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Unlike schools in some other African countries, Zairian schools have maintained a decidedly Western character.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The rest of the Zairian bishops met in plenary assembly at the end of February to discuss the controversy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Regardless of Cordier's intent, the Zairian people today are still grappling with the tragic legacy of his decisions.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The Zairian experience has been forged on the anvil of a political philosophy which we call authenticity.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Many Zairians were displaced during the civil conflicts of the 1990s.

Synonyms

Zairean
vsZairian
1 8.6

A person from Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo

is an alternative spelling for the same nationality term
Zairese
vsZairian
9.1

Relating to Zaire, the country now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo

is a variant form used mainly as a nationality label

Surface Forms

Zairian main

Morphology

Zairian = Zaire (transparent) = Zaire + an

The demonym/noun is formed by adding the regular suffix '-an' to the country name 'Zaire', a clear and learnable pattern.

Etymology

Zairian names a person from Zaire, the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997. Because Zaire comes from a local word for 'river', you can remember a Zairian as someone from the 'river' country, which is why the word means a person from that country.