A few more Proudly South African words have been added to the Oxford Dictionary including a few revisions and sub-entires, take a look below.
Johannesburg, South Africa – The Oxford Dictionary updated their word list in December 2018 and again now in March 2019. We shared the story in January, and some of the words included in 2018 were bunny chow, eina, Mzanzi and ubuntu. You can see the full list here.
They recently added a few more really great South African words to the list. For a word to qualify, it must have been in popular use for at least ten years in both novels and newspapers.
Take a look at the newly added words and their meanings below:
- Bantu Education * – in Bantu, adj. and n.: “(in apartheid-era South Africa) the official system of education for black South Africans, initiated by the first Bantu Education Act (1953);”
- BEE * – n.: “(in or with reference to South Africa) = black economic empowerment n. at black adj. n.special uses 5a.”
- Black Empowerment ** – adj. and n.: “the empowerment of black people; spec. (in or with reference to South Africa) a government programme incentivising the provision of employment and business opportunities for black people, with the aim of redressing their economic marginalisation during apartheid (frequently attributive); cf. black economic empowerment n.
- Black Economic Empowerment ** – adj. and n.: the empowerment of black people to participate in the economy; spec. (in or with reference to South Africa) A government programme incentivising the provision of employment and business opportunities for black people, with the aim of redressing their economic marginalisation during apartheid; abbreviated BEE n. at B n. Additions.
- Bok – adj. and n.“South African.”
- Dof – adj. “Stupid, dim-witted; uninformed, clueless.”
- Gramadoelas – n. “A remote rural region; the backwoods, the ‘sticks’. Cf. bundu n.”
- Hensopper – n. Originally: a Boer who surrendered to the British during the Boer War (1899–1902). Now also in extended use: a person who surrenders or who gives up on something. Cf.
- Hok – n. “An enclosure for domestic animals. Frequently with modifying word specifying the type of animal being kept. Cf. hokkie n. 1.”
- Hokkie – n. “An enclosure for domestic animals. Frequently with modifying word specifying the type of animal being kept.”
- Imbizo – n. “A meeting, an assembly; esp. a gathering of the Zulu people called by a traditional leader. Cf. kgotla n. 2
- Isicathamiya – n. “A style of unaccompanied singing originating amongst rural Zulu male choirs.”
- Joburg – n. “A nickname for: the city of Johannesburg.”
- Jozi – n. “A nickname for: the city of Johannesburg.”
- Kanna – n. “A South African succulent plant having white and yellow flowers with narrow, threadlike petals, Sceletium tortuosum (family Aizoaceae), the roots and leaves of which have traditionally been dried and chewed or smoked. Also: a preparation made from this plant.”
- Koevoet – n. “A paramilitary counter-insurgency unit of the South African police force, deployed in South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1979 until 1989.”
- Lapa – n.“South African. With reference to a traditional Sotho homestead.”
- Lekgotla – n. “An enclosure or public space where community assemblies take place; = kgotla n. 1.”
- Makgotla – n. “A traditional court of law consisting of village members; (in later use) a people’s court convened in a township; = lekgotla n. 2.”
- Yebo – adv. and n. Used to express affirmation, assent, or agreement: ‘yes’. Also occasionally as n.: an utterance of ‘yebo’. Frequently in representations of South African speech.
And there you have it, now next time you use one of these words, just know they are officially part of the Oxford Dictionary.
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