eswatini

IPA/ˌeswəˈtiːni/
IPA/ˌeswəˈtiːni/

eswatini — noun

1. a kingdom in southern Africa that was formerly called Swaziland. It gained indep

1.nounB1
Definition

a kingdom in southern Africa that was formerly called Swaziland. It gained independence from Britain in 1968 and is one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies — the king appoints the prime minister and the cabinet. The official name changed from Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018. The Swazi people have their own language and rich cultural traditions.

Example

Eswatini is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in the world today.

proper noun as sentence subject

The art gallery in Mbabane displayed traditional crafts from across Eswatini.

prepositional phrase: 'from across Eswatini'

Common collocations
  • king of Eswatini
  • people of Eswatini
  • government of Eswatini
  • independence of Eswatini
  • the Swazi people
Synonyms
  • Swaziland

    former official name (until 2018) — still used when referring to the country's history before the name change

Usage Note

Capitalised as a proper noun. Formerly called Swaziland — the old name still appears in some historical texts and older maps. Use this entry when discussing Eswatini's government, history, monarchy, or cultural identity. For the country's physical location, terrain, borders, and area, see the geographical name entry.

Common Mistakes

Eswatini is a democratic country with elected leaders.
Eswatini is an absolute monarchy where the king appoints the government.
Eswatini does not hold national elections for its head of government.

eswatini — geographical name

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Eswatini and Swaziland refer to the same country in southern Africa. Swaziland was the English name used from British colonial times until 2018, when King Mswati III officially renamed the country Eswatini to reflect the original Swazi-language name (meaning 'land of the Swazis'). Eswatini is now the standard name in modern texts, news reports, and official documents. Swaziland still appears in historical writing, older maps, and contexts describing events before the name change. For example, a news article today would say 'Eswatini celebrated its independence' but a historical reference might note 'Swaziland gained independence from Britain in 1968.'

Swaziland ↗Eswatini ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the king of Eswatini
  • the capital of Eswatini
  • the people of Eswatini

Prepositions

Etymology

SwaziEnglish

The name Eswatini comes from the Swazi language: e- meaning 'place of' or 'at', combined with Swati (the name of the Swazi people). So Eswatini means 'land of the Swazis'. The country was formerly called Swaziland in English, a blend of Swazi + land. King Mswati III changed the official name to Eswatini in 2018, on the 50th anniversary of the country's independence.