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Meaning of Aymara in English:

Aymara

Pronunciation /ˈʌɪmərɑː/

nounAymara, Aymaras

  • 1A member of a South American people inhabiting the high plateau region of Bolivia and Peru near Lake Titicaca.

    ‘For more than 500 years we, the Quechuas, Aymaras and Guaranis, the Indians who are native to this noble land, have been subject to slavery.’
    • ‘Well, he must have had a straw boat like the Aymaras use in Lake Titticacca.’
    • ‘Many Aymaras reside in cities and live in modern houses or apartments.’
    • ‘Our church is in a companion relationship with the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church, most of whose 20,000 members are Aymara.’
    • ‘The concern in Bolivia is that if the state is left to its own devices, with a strong but fragmented opposition movement, it will use its collective strength to smash movements such as that of the Aymara.’

  • 2mass noun The language of the Aymara, with over 2 million speakers. It may be related to Quechua.

    ‘More than 50 percent are Amerindians who speak mainly Quechua or Aymara as well as Spanish.’
    • ‘Native American communities still maintain their indigenous languages such as Quechua, Aymara, and the lesser known Indian languages spoken by the Amazon groups.’
    • ‘Several varieties of Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara are spoken, and all have influenced one another in vocabulary, phonology, syntax, and grammar.’
    • ‘Furthermore, the local radio stations often broadcast programs in local languages, e.g. Quechua and Aymara, in addition to programs in the national language, i.e. Spanish.’
    • ‘Lots of them don't speak Spanish, and I don't know Quechua or Aymara.’

adjective

  • Relating to the Aymara or their language.

    ‘These wider networks of solidarity, based on family ties, place of origin and ethnicity, have allowed the formation of an urban-rural Aymara identity, capable of a strong political projection.’
    • ‘The vanguard sector in this struggle is the well-organized Aymara peasants, who have descended en masse from the altiplano, above the capital.’
    • ‘Here I will attempt to ‘translate’ what I've learned over these years - mainly through my relationship with the indigenous Aymara people.’
    • ‘Another Aymara festival is Alacitas, the Festival of Abundance, which takes place in La Paz and the Lake Titicaca region.’
    • ‘An Aymara woman admires the artistry of the poncho I am wearing with a gold-toothed grin.’

Origin

Bolivian Spanish.