Congolese

From French congolais, equivalent to Congo +‎ -ese. For information about the -l-, see Togolese.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒŋ.ɡəˈliːz/
• Rhymes: -iːz

Congolese (plural Congolese)

1. A person from the Congo or any Congolese state.
   1. A person from the Republic of the Congo.
   2. A person from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire).

The term Congolese on its own is not strictly a nationality since it refers to two different nations, and it is therefore a regional or supranational word, like Dominican or Scandinavian. There is no simple modifier which can be added to the word to define which nation is meant. Sometimes the nation's acronym (ROC or DRC) is added before or after 'Congolese', as in 'DRC Congolese' or 'Congolese (DRC)', sometimes the names of the capitals are added:

Three of them were DRC Congolese and the other two were ROC Congolese

Three of them were (Kinshasa) Congolese and the other two were (Brazzaville) Congolese.

• sub-Saharan, African

Congolese (not comparable)

1. Of, from, or pertaining to the Congo or any Congolese state.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Phillip Jones, Mariners, Merchants And The Military Too (→ISBN):

     Where there were disagreements between the Portuguese and Congolese authorities with regard to the trading in African slaves, these tended to be about numbers, rather than the trade in human beings itself. According to some sources, the Congolese monarch publicly expressed his concerns to the Portuguese representatives that some European traders were enslaving all African citizens,

   1. Of, from, or pertaining to the Republic of Congo or its people.
   2. Of, from, or pertaining to the Democratic Republic of Congo or its people.

• (Kinshasa): Zairean (historical)