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Glite Dictionary
Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

8 2.5
The capital and largest city of Ethiopia
  • proper noun
  • /ˈædɪs ˈɑːbɑːbə/
: Adís Abeba
  • According to one Amhara informant in Addis Ababa, the practice of leba shay began during the reign of Emperor Lebne-Dengel.
  • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • lived in Addis Ababa
  • gallery in Addis Ababa

Examples

  • So long as the EPRDF remains the ruling party in Addis Ababa, relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia are expected to remain cordial.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The fact that one finds former slaves or their descendants in Addis Ababa and other towns in northern Ethiopia supports this view.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Gradually, "modern" art gained acceptance within Addis Ababa, and the number of applicants increased.

    Academic text (2009)

  • When he returned to Addis Ababa, he quit government service and became a freelance painter.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Both of these conferences were hosted by the Ethiopians in Addis Ababa.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Born in 1966 in Addis Ababa, Elizabeth Habte-Wolde attended the Empress Menen School for Girls.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Adamu Tesfaw, a priest-painter in Addis Ababa, explains: "Thirty years ago, the chromolithographs were rare."

    Academic text (2009)

  • Alemu then followed his brother Yitbarek Haile Maryam to Addis Ababa in 1932.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The Belvedere Art Gallery in Addis Ababa (1963-74) sold small-format paintings on parchment.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The conference on climate change was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Surface Forms

Addis Ababa main

Morphology

Addis + Ababa

Addis Ababa is a lexicalized place name (toponym) whose constituents are not English words with relevant meanings for learners; the parts are not interpretable from the provided dictionary entries, so knowing them would not allow a B1 learner to infer ‘capital of Ethiopia’. Place names are arbitrary in form and must be learned as proper nouns rather than composed meanings, making this expression non-compositional for English learners.

Etymology

Addis Ababa comes from the Amharic language: Addis means 'new' and Ababa means 'flower'. One popular story says the emperor and his wife saw flowers in the area and called it 'new flower', and that clear image helps explain the city's name today.