Bantu

See also: bantu, bantú, bàntú, and bǎntú

English

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *bàntʊ̀ pl (people), as reconstructed by the 19th-century linguist Wilhelm Bleek.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbæntu/

Noun

Bantu (countable and uncountable, plural Bantus or Bantu)

  1. (countable) A member of any of the African ethnic groups that speak a Bantu language.
  2. (South Africa, dated, now offensive, ethnic slur) A black South African.
  3. (uncountable) The largest African language family of the Niger-Congo group, spoken in much of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Usage notes

Black South Africans were at times officially called "Bantus" by the Apartheid regime. New legislation and documents from the South African government have replaced "Bantu" with "Black" due to the former word's derogatory connotations. Outside Southern Africa the term is still widely used as a term for the Bantu-speaking peoples.

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Anagrams

German

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Proper noun

Bantu n (proper noun, strong, genitive Bantu or Bantus)

  1. Bantu (language family)

Declension

Noun

Bantu m (strong, genitive Bantu or Bantus, plural Bantu or Bantus)

  1. Bantu speaker (male or of unspecified gender)

Declension

Noun

Bantu f (genitive Bantu, plural Bantu or Bantus)

  1. female Bantu speaker

Declension

  • Bantusprache, Bantu-Sprache
  • Bantuvolk, Bantu-Volk

Further reading

Polish

Etymology

Internationalism; compare English Bantu, ultimately Proto-Bantu *bàntʊ̀.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈban.tu/
  • Rhymes: -antu
  • Syllabification: Ban‧tu
  • Homophone: bantu

Noun

Bantu m pers (indeclinable)

  1. Bantu (member of any of the Bantu tribes)

Derived terms

adjective
nouns

Further reading

  • Bantu in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • Bantu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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