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Bu·run·di

(b-rndē, -rn-)

A country of east-central Africa with a coastline on Lake Tanganyika. It was inhabited originally by the Twa, a Pygmy people, and later also by Hutus and Tutsis, the latter gaining political and economic dominance in the 19th century. The area formed part of German East Africa and later of Belgian-ruled Ruanda-Urundi before it became an independent kingdom in 1962 and was declared a republic in 1966. In the 1970s and again in the 1990s tens of thousands of people were killed in ethnic clashes between Hutus and Tutsis. Bujumbura is the capital and the largest city.

Bu·rundi·an adj. & n.

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Burundi

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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