Bantu
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *bàntʊ̀ pl (“people”), as reconstructed by the 19th-century linguist Wilhelm Bleek.
Pronunciation
Noun
Bantu (countable and uncountable, plural Bantus or Bantu)
- (countable) A member of any of the African ethnic groups that speak a Bantu language.
- (South Africa, dated, now offensive, ethnic slur) A black South African.
- (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
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Bantu n (proper noun, strong, genitive Bantu or Bantus)
- Bantu (language family)
Declension
Declension of Bantu [sg-only, neuter, strong]
Noun
Bantu m (strong, genitive Bantu or Bantus, plural Bantu or Bantus)
Declension
Declension of Bantu [masculine, strong]
Noun
Bantu f (genitive Bantu, plural Bantu or Bantus)
Declension
Declension of Bantu [feminine]
Related terms
- Bantusprache, Bantu-Sprache
- Bantuvolk, Bantu-Volk
Further reading
- “Bantu” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Bantu (Sprecher)” in Duden online
- “Bantu (Sprecherin)” in Duden online
- “Bantu (Sprache)” in Duden online
Etymology
Internationalism; compare English Bantu, ultimately Proto-Bantu *bàntʊ̀.
Pronunciation
Noun
Bantu m pers (indeclinable)
- Bantu (member of any of the Bantu tribes)
Derived terms
adjective
nouns