lesotho

IPA/ləˈsuːtuː/
KK[lɛsˈoθo]IPA/ləˈsuːtuː/

lesotho — geographical name

1. a nation in the southern part of Africa whose land lies completely inside South

1.geographical nameB1
Definition

a nation in the southern part of Africa whose land lies completely inside South Africa. It has very high mountains with cold, snowy winters and is ruled by a king. The capital city is Maseru.

Example

Mpho showed her classmates a map highlighting how Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa.

unique geographical fact: completely surrounded by South Africa

Hari learned in his geography class that Lesotho is called the 'Kingdom in the Sky' because of its high mountains.

nickname of the country

Common collocations
  • landlocked country
  • mountainous kingdom
  • constitutional monarchy
  • surrounded by South Africa
  • capital city Maseru

Grammar Patterns

Lesotho (no article)

in Lesotho

the Kingdom of Lesotho

Usage Note

Unlike some country names (the Gambia, the United Kingdom), Lesotho is used without the article 'the'. The full official name is 'the Kingdom of Lesotho', used mainly in formal or diplomatic contexts.

lesotho — noun

Word family

  • Mosotho
    nounB1
  • Basotho
    nounB1
  • Sesotho
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: geographical name/1

Both Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) are small, landlocked monarchies in southern Africa, but they differ in key ways. Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa — an 'enclave' country — while Eswatini shares a border with Mozambique as well. Lesotho is known for its very high altitude and cold winters, whereas Eswatini has a warmer climate and lower elevation. South Africa, by contrast, is a much larger republic that surrounds Lesotho entirely. A learner should use 'Lesotho' when referring specifically to this mountainous kingdom inside South Africa, and 'South Africa' when talking about the larger country that encircles it.

Lesotho ↗Eswatini ↗South Africa

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the government of Lesotho
  • the people of Lesotho
  • the capital of Lesotho
  • the king of Lesotho
  • the border of Lesotho

Phrases

  • the Kingdom of Lesotho
  • the highlands of Lesotho
  • the southern African nation of Lesotho

Prepositions

  • in Lesotho
  • to Lesotho
  • from Lesotho
  • within Lesotho

Etymology

SesothoEnglish

The name Lesotho comes from the Sesotho language and means 'the land of the people who speak Sesotho'. The prefix 'Le-' means 'land of', and 'Sotho' refers to the Sotho people and their language. The country was known as Basutoland under British rule and adopted the name Lesotho when it became independent in 1966.