# Abyssinia

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˌæ.bɪˈsɪ.nɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #59,165

## Definitions
1. Former name of Ethiopia: a country and former empire in East Africa; used as an exonym until the mid 20th century.

## Etymology
From Renaissance Latin Abyssīnī (“the Abyssinians”), from Arabic الْحَبَشَة (al-ḥabaša), from حَبَش (ḥabaš, “Abyssinian”). The humorous use of Abyssinia as a parting phrase is due to its phonetic resemblance to I'll be seeing ya.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/abyssinia