Zaire

See also: zaire, zaïre, and Zaïre

English

Alternative forms

• Zaïre

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Bantu *jade

Kongo nzadi

Kongo o

Kongo nzere

Kongo nzadi o nzereder.

Portuguese Zairebor.

French Zaïrebor.

English Zaire

Borrowed from French Zaïre, a truncation of Kongo nzadi o nzere (“river swallowing rivers”) which refers to the Congo river; adopted in accordance with the Authenticity Movement.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /zaɪˈɪə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /zɑːˈɪəɹ/, /ˈzɑːɪɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /zaɪˈeː/

Proper noun

Zaire

2. (historical) Former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997.
4. (chiefly historical) Synonym of Congo (major river in Central Africa)
5. A province of Angola, named after the river

Related terms

• zaire
• Zairean

Translations

former name of DR of Congo

• Arabic: زَئِير (ar) f (zaʔīr), زَائِير (zāʔīr)
• Armenian: Զաիր (hy) (Zair)
• Bengali: জায়ার (bn) (jaẏar)
• Bulgarian: Заи́р (Zaír)
• Catalan: Zaire m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 扎伊爾 (zh) (Zhāyī'ěr), 薩伊 / 萨伊 (zh) (Sàyī)

• Czech: Zair (cs)
• Danish: Zaire n
• Dutch: Zaïre (nl) n
• Estonian: Zaire (et), Sair
• Faroese: Sair n
• Finnish: Zaire (fi)
• French: Zaïre (fr) m
• Galician: Zaire m
• Georgian: ზაირი (zairi)
• German: Zaire (de) n
• Greek: Ζαΐρ (el) (Zaḯr)
• Hausa: Zàyâr̃ f
• Hebrew: זאיר f (za'ír)
• Hindi: ज़ायर m (zāyar)
• Irish: An tSáír f
• Italian: Zaire m
• Japanese: ザイール (ja) (Zaīru)
• Korean: 자이르 (Jaireu)
• Lithuanian: Zairas m
• Maltese: iż-Zaire
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: Zaire n

• Persian: زئیر (zair)
• Polish: Zair (pl)
• Portuguese: Zaire (pt) m
• Romanian: Zair n
• Russian: Заи́р (ru) m (Zaír)
• Serbo-Croatian: Заир m, Zair (sh) m
• Spanish: Zaire (es)
• Swedish: Zaire
• Thai: ซาอีร์ (saa-ii)
• Turkish: Zaire (tr)
• Ukrainian: Заїр (Zajir)
• Uyghur: زايىر (zayir)
• Welsh: Saïr f

Anagrams

• arize, rezai, Azeri

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French Zaïre

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈzaj.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈzaj.ɾe]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Proper noun

Zaire m

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly historical) synonym of Congo (major river in Central Africa)
4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Derived terms

• zairès

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from French Zaïre

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtsɑi̯re/, [ˈts̠ɑ̝i̯re̞]
• IPA^(key): /ˈzɑi̯re/, [ˈzɑ̝i̯re̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑire
• Syllabification^(key): Zai‧re
• Hyphenation^(key): Zai‧re

Proper noun

Zaire

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly historical) synonym of Kongo (major river in Central Africa)
4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Declension

Inflection of Zaire (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		Zaire	—
genitive		Zairen	—
partitive		Zairea	—
illative		Zaireen	—
		singular	plural
nominative		Zaire	—
accusative	nom.	Zaire	—
	gen.	Zairen
genitive		Zairen	—
partitive		Zairea	—
inessive		Zairessa	—
elative		Zairesta	—
illative		Zaireen	—
adessive		Zairella	—
ablative		Zairelta	—
allative		Zairelle	—
essive		Zairena	—
translative		Zaireksi	—
abessive		Zairetta	—
instructive		—	—
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Zaire (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Zaireni — accusative nom. Zaireni — gen. Zaireni genitive Zaireni — partitive Zaireani — inessive Zairessani — elative Zairestani — illative Zaireeni — adessive Zairellani — ablative Zaireltani — allative Zairelleni — essive Zairenani — translative Zairekseni — abessive Zairettani — instructive — — comitative — — second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Zairesi — accusative nom. Zairesi — gen. Zairesi genitive Zairesi — partitive Zaireasi — inessive Zairessasi — elative Zairestasi — illative Zaireesi — adessive Zairellasi — ablative Zaireltasi — allative Zairellesi — essive Zairenasi — translative Zaireksesi — abessive Zairettasi — instructive — — comitative — — first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Zairemme — accusative nom. Zairemme — gen. Zairemme genitive Zairemme — partitive Zaireamme — inessive Zairessamme — elative Zairestamme — illative Zaireemme — adessive Zairellamme — ablative Zaireltamme — allative Zairellemme — essive Zairenamme — translative Zaireksemme — abessive Zairettamme — instructive — — comitative — — second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Zairenne — accusative nom. Zairenne — gen. Zairenne genitive Zairenne — partitive Zaireanne — inessive Zairessanne — elative Zairestanne — illative Zaireenne — adessive Zairellanne — ablative Zaireltanne — allative Zairellenne — essive Zairenanne — translative Zaireksenne — abessive Zairettanne — instructive — — comitative — — third-person possessor singular plural nominative Zairensa — accusative nom. Zairensa — gen. Zairensa genitive Zairensa — partitive Zaireaan Zaireansa — inessive Zairessaan Zairessansa — elative Zairestaan Zairestansa — illative Zaireensa — adessive Zairellaan Zairellansa — ablative Zaireltaan Zaireltansa — allative Zairelleen Zairellensa — essive Zairenaan Zairenansa — translative Zairekseen Zaireksensa — abessive Zairettaan Zairettansa — instructive — — comitative — —

Anagrams

• azeri

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French Zaïre

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): ^*/d͡zaˈi.re/
• Rhymes: -ire
• Hyphenation: Za‧ì‧re

Proper noun

Zaire m

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly historical) synonym of Congo (major river in Central Africa)
4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Derived terms

• zairese

See also

• Repubblica Democratica del Congo

Anagrams

• Rezia, azeri

Portuguese

Etymology

Truncation of Kongo nzadi o nzere (“river swallowing rivers”) which refers to the Congo river.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈzaj.ɾi/ [ˈzaɪ̯.ɾi]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈzaj.ɾɨ/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ajɾɨ, (Brazil) -ajɾi
• Hyphenation: Zai‧re

Proper noun

Zaire m

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly Portugal, Africa) a major river in Central Africa which flows for about 4,380 km (2,720 miles) to the Atlantic Ocean in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at times forming the border with the Republic of the Congo and Angola.

   Synonym: Congo

4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Usage notes

• Unlike in other languages, in Portuguese, "Zaire" remains in use as a hydronym even after 1997, especially in Africa.

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Bantu *jade

Kongo nzadi

Kongo o

Kongo nzere

Kongo nzadi o nzereder.

Portuguese Zairebor.

French Zaïrebor.

▲

Portuguese Zairebor.

Spanish Zaire

Borrowed from French Zaïre or Portuguese Zaire

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθaiɾe/ [ˈθai̯.ɾe] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈsaiɾe/ [ˈsai̯.ɾe] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aiɾe
• Syllabification: Zai‧re

Proper noun

Zaire m

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly Angola) synonym of Congo (major river in Central Africa)
4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Derived terms

• zaireño

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from French Zaïre

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːr

Proper noun

Zaire ? (genitive Zaires)

1. (historical) Zaire (former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a country in Central Africa; used from 1971–1997)
3. (chiefly Angola) synonym of Kongo (major river in Central Africa)
4. A province of Angola, named after the river

Anagrams

• azeri