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Kaffir
Definitions
- 1 In Islamic contexts, a non-Muslim. countable, offensive
"He […] put me in imminent danger of my life, by telling the natives that I was a Caffer, and not a Mussulman."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of kaffir. alt-of
- 3 an offensive and insulting term for any Black African wordnet
- 4 A member of the Nguni people of southern Africa, especially a Xhosa. countable, offensive
"… the Hambonaas, a nation quite different from the Kaffers, having a yellowish complexion […]."
- 5 important for human and animal food; growth habit and stem form similar to Indian corn but having sawtooth-edged leaves wordnet
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- 6 A black person. Namibia, Rhodesia, South-Africa, countable, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
"I rang the bell, and a smiling Kafir boy answered it."
- 7 A language spoken by the Nguni peoples of southern Africa, especially Xhosa. historical, offensive, uncountable
"This man, seeing a white person enter, moved aside for her, but she saw Joss's eyes on her, and said in kitchen kaffir, ‘No, when you've finished.’"
- 8 South African mining shares countable, historical, slang, uncountable
"Kaffirs bouyant most of last week"
- 9 Ellipsis of kaffir corn. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable
"This market reports only one or two cars per day, selling by the hundred weight, and at a price a little lower than that of Indian corn. As to the purpose for which the marketed kaffir is used, there is some uncertainty."
Etymology
Ultimately from Arabic كَفَّار (kaffār, “infidel”) or كَافِر (kāfir, “unbeliever”), both from كَفَرَ (kafara, “to cover, to hide”); in some (especially early) uses, via Spanish cafre, Dutch kaffer or other European languages. Doublet of kafir.
See also for "kaffir"
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