Safari Just Means Journey
A safari is an expedition to observe or hunt wild animals. The word is Swahili for journey, borrowed from Arabic, and it reached English through East Africa.
A safari is an expedition into the bush to watch or hunt wild animals. In Swahili the word carries no romance at all: *safari* simply means journey, and a Kenyan commuter stuck in traffic is on one. English kept the sound and added the tents, the khaki and the long lenses.
- A wildlife expedition. *A photographic safari.*
- A journey (Swahili). *Safari njema* — have a good trip.
- Verb, to go on safari. *They safaried through the delta.*
- Safari park — a drive-through wildlife park. *A weekend at the safari park.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | safari | A ten-day safari. |
| Plural | safaris | Guided safaris. |
| Compound | safari jacket | A linen safari jacket. |
| Compound | safari park | A drive-through safari park. |
| Swahili root | safiri | To travel. |
- We went on safari in the Serengeti.On safari, without an article.
- Safari njema!Swahili farewell: safe journey.
- Modern safaris are usually photographic.The hunting sense has faded.
Words English took from Swahili
- Safari — journey
- Jenga — build (the game is an imperative)
- Simba — lion
- Bwana — sir, master
- Hakuna matata — no trouble
Swahili *safari*, from Arabic *safar*, a journey or travel. It entered English in the 1850s through explorers' accounts of East Africa, and the clothing sense followed the fashion for their kit.
Do you say on safari or on a safari?
Both work, but on safari, with no article, is the older and more idiomatic phrase in British English.
Is safari an African or Arabic word?
Both, in turn. Swahili borrowed it from Arabic, and English borrowed it from Swahili.