Harare

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The capital and largest city of Zimbabwe, located in the northeastern part of the country on a high plateau
2. A major city in southern Africa that serves as the seat of government and commerce for Zimbabwe
3. The political and economic center of Zimbabwe, situated on a plateau in the country's northeast

Etymology: Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe, and its name comes from a Shona phrase that gave the city its identity long before it was a capital. The name is traditionally linked to "haarari", which in Shona is said to mean "it doesn't sleep", a reference to a nearby waterfall that never seemed to fall silent. The idea is that the falling water kept up its noise through the night, so the place was named for something that refused to rest. The name is a local Shona word that was then applied to the settlement, rather than a coinage made up by outsiders. The etymology rests on that single traditional explanation, so the link between the name and the waterfall is a folk derivation as much as a documented one.