Kaffir
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
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
Show 4 more definitions
- 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."
Example
More examples"He […] put me in imminent danger of my life, by telling the natives that I was a Caffer, and not a Mussulman."
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.