nounplural noun Acholi
1A member of a farming and pastoral people of northern Uganda and South Sudan.
‘One of them was the Acholi, a tribe that populates the northern Gulu region where the couple struggled for years to build their hospital.’- ‘The Acholi is the dominant tribe in northern Uganda.’
- ‘The Acholi are located in the Gulu, Kitgum and Pader districts, while the Langi are in the neighboring Lango district.’
- ‘Like many African communities, the Acholi believe that deep social rifts are caused by killings and require elaborate reconciliation mechanisms to restore fractured relations.’
- ‘The Acholi are great nickname givers, like Egyptians.’
2mass noun The Nilotic language of the Acholi.
‘The Western Nilotic language groups include the Langi and Acholi as well as the Alur.’- ‘But, Okot's topical, graphic, and exciting version, read side by side with my ponderous lines, should yield to the reader as much of what the Acholi original has as is possible.’
- ‘Mother tongue proficiency in Acholi, Ateso, Kumam or Lango and excellent English and/or French are required.’
- ‘He was soft-spoken and he spoke Acholi through an interpreter.’
- ‘They speak Acholi, Amharic, Bemba, Chaldean, Dinka, Pashto, Kinyarwanda, Nuer, Somali, and many other languages.’
adjective
Relating to the Acholi or their language.
‘The Acholi tribe has sophisticated rites of forgiveness and reconciliation, a lesson to those of us in the West.’- ‘Some reference to the classical West African epics, to Oko p'Bitek's Acholi songs, or the long tradition of Swahili literature would have been useful.’
- ‘The Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army.’
- ‘Several internationally cerebrated Acholi authors include Frank Anywar, and the late Okot p'Bitek.’
- ‘The Acholi people of Northern Uganda have a rich and diverse cultural heritage.’
Origin
The name in Acholi.
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