Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
babalas babbelas | drunk. |
bonsella bansela bonsela pasela | a gratuity to a Black African. [Zulu ibhonselo, a gift]. |
cocopan | a wagon on a narrow gauge railway serving a mine. [Zulu 'stumpy wagon']. |
donga | a gully made by soil erosion. |
gogo | a grandmother. |
imbizo | a gathering of people at the request of a chieftain: IMBIZOS. |
impala | a kind of antelope. |
imphee | any of several southern African varieties of sorghum. [Zulu imfe, sweet cane]. |
impi | a regiment of Zulu warriors > IMPIS or IMPIES. |
indaba | a tribal conference in southern Africa. [Zulu 'discussion']. |
induna | a tribal councillor or leader, esp. of an impi. [Zulu 'the captain']. |
inkhosi inkosi | a traditional leader of a Zulu clan > INKHOSIS; INKOSIS or AMAKOSI. [Zulu 'the captain']. |
inyala nyala | a kind of antelope. |
kwaito | a type of S. African pop music. |
kwela | a form of Zulu folk music. [Zulu khwela, climb, mount]. |
mabela | ground kaffir corn used for making porridge. |
mamba | a venomous African snake. |
mbaqanga | a type of Black African urban music. [Orig. uncertain; perh. related to Zulu umbaqanga, maize, porridge]. |
muti | a traditional medicine, associated with witch-doctors. [Zulu umuthi, tree, plant, medicine]. |
nagana ngana | a tropical disease of cattle transmitted by tsetse fly. [Zulu nakane]. |
sangoma | a witch-doctor. [Zulu isangoma]. |
skokiaan | a strong home-brewed alcoholic liquor fermented with yeast. [From Zulu via Afrikaans]. |
taha | a S. African weaver-bird. [Zulu taka]. |
tokoloshe tikoloshe tokoloshi | in Bantu folklore, a hairy malevolent dwarflike creature with supernatural powers. [Zulu tikoloshe]. |
vuvuzela | a S. African instrument blown by football fans. |