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REFERENCE

saudi

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈsaʊdi// sau·di Informal

n. a person from Saudi Arabia. You can also use it as a short way to talk about the country's government or its people in general.

n. a citizen or inhabitant of Saudi Arabia, or a member of the ruling house of Saud. Often used as a collective noun in political or economic discourse to refer to the state's leadership.


SIMPLE

My new neighbor is a Saudi who moved here for university.

CONTEXTUAL

The conference was attended by several Saudis who are experts in renewable energy technology.

COMPLEX

While the term technically refers to the ruling dynasty, in common parlance a Saudi is any national of the kingdom, regardless of their specific tribal or familial lineage.

Origin

Borrowed from Arabic سُعُودِيّ (suʕūdiyy), from سُعُود (suʕūd), the name of the Saud family, who rule Saudi Arabia, and the adjectival suffix ـِيّ (-iyy)., equivalent to Saud + -i.

Usage

The noun is always capitalized. When referring to the people as a group, it is often used with the definite article ('the Saudis').

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