swaziland

swaziland — noun

1. Swaziland was the name of a southern African kingdom until 2018, when its offici

1.nounB1
Definition

Swaziland was the name of a southern African kingdom until 2018, when its official name became Eswatini.

Example

Swaziland officially changed its name to Eswatini in April 2018.

proper noun: former country name, now Eswatini

Christopher visited Swaziland in 2015 to photograph its wildlife reserves.

Common collocations
  • the king of Swaziland
  • in Swaziland
  • from Swaziland
  • Swaziland's economy
  • the people of Swaziland
Synonyms
  • Eswatini

    current official name since 2018; use Eswatini for present-tense references

Grammar Patterns

Swaziland + verb (singular)

Usage Note

Swaziland is a historical name. For current events and official references, use Eswatini instead. The name was changed by King Mswati III in 2018.

Common Mistakes

The capital of Eswatini in 2010 was Mbabane.' (when referring to a date before 2018)
The capital of Swaziland in 2010 was Mbabane.
Before April 2018, the country was called Swaziland, not Eswatini.

Word family

  • Eswatini
    nounB1
  • Swazi
    adjectiveB1
  • Swazi
    nounB1
  • siSwati
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Swaziland and Eswatini refer to the same country at different points in time. Swaziland is the English-based colonial-era name used until 2018. Eswatini, meaning 'land of the Swazis' in the siSwati language, is the current official name adopted in 2018. The adjective Swazi describes the people, culture, or language (e.g., Swazi tradition, the Swazi people). A kingdom is the type of government — Swaziland/Eswatini is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in Africa. For example: 'The Swazi people celebrate their culture in Eswatini, which was called Swaziland before 2018.'

EswatiniSwazikingdom ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the name Swaziland
  • the king of Swaziland
  • the capital of Swaziland
  • Swaziland's economy

Prepositions

Etymology

siSwatiEnglish

The name Swaziland combines 'Swazi' (from the amaSwazi people) with the English word 'land'. The Swazi people take their name from King Mswati I, a 19th-century ruler. In 2018, the country changed its name to Eswatini, which means 'land of the Swazis' in the siSwati language, dropping the English suffix.