Timbuktu
pronunciation
How to pronounce Timbuktu in British English:
UK [ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː]
How to pronounce Timbuktu in American English:
US [ ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː]
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- Noun:
- a city in central Mali near the Niger river; formerly famous for its gold trade
Word Origin
- Timbuktu
- city on the southern edge of the Sahara desert, older spelling Timbuctoo, used allusively in English for "most distant place imaginable" from at least 1863. The name is from Songhai, literally "hollow," in reference to the depression in which it stands.
Example
- 1. Treasured arabic books and parchment manuscripts from ancient timbuktu .
- 2. Islamist militants attacked a 15th-century mosque in mali 's ancient city of timbuktu .
- 3. The manager told us people in timbuktu are now living in fear .
- 4. Now I fear that other sites , not just in timbuktu but in other malian cities , are at risk .
- 5. In its heyday timbuktu was a hub of learning that grew rich on duties from the trans-saharan trade in gold , ivory , salt and slaves .