Association of British Scrabble Players

Language > Afr - Cze > Afrikaans/South African


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


aardvark a nocturnal, insectivorous, badger-sized mammal, native to sub-Saharan Africa. [Afk. aardvark(en) (now erdvark), f. aarde earth + varken pig.]
aardwolf a hyena-like African mammal, aka EARTHWOLF.
aasvogel a S. African vulture. [Dutch = 'carrion bird'].
agterskot the final payment to a farmer for crops.
apartheid segregation and separate development (of races).
baas boss.
baaskaap baasskap baaskap the condition in which one section of the population is treated as the master race, esp. the policy of domination of white people in South Africa.
backveld country remote from towns.
backvelder one who lives in the country remote from towns.
berg a hill or mountain in S. Africa.
bakgat fine, excellent.
bakkie a small open truck.
banket a gold-bearing pebbly conglomerate. [Dutch banketje, almond rock].
berghaan the bateleur eagle. [Afrik. berg, mountain, + haan, cock].
bijwoner bywoner the sub-tenant of a farm; an agricultural labourer. [Dutch bijwonen, to be present].
biltong a kind of dried meat.
blaubok bloubok a South African antelope, the bluebuck.
blesbok blesbuck a South African antelope, having a large white spot on the forehead.
bliksem an interjection expressing shock and surprise.
bobbejaan a baboon; a large black spider.
boerewors a traditional S. African sausage > BOEREWORSES.
boep a protruding belly.
boerbul boerbull a crossbred mastiff used esp as a watchdog.
boet boertjie a friend.
bok a goat or antelope.
bokmakerie a large yellow shrike.
bontebok the pied antelope of South Africa, aka BLESBOK.
boomslang a highly venomous southern African tree-snake. [Du. boom, tree, + slang, snake].
bosberaad a meeting in an isolated place to break a political deadlock.
bosbok boschbok boshbok a kind of antelope, a bush-buck.
boschveld bushveld veld made up largely of woodland.
boykie a chap or fellow.
braai to grill or roast meat over open coals > BRAAIS, BRAAIING, BRAAIED.
braaivleis a barbecue party.
brak brackish, salty; (noun) a mongrel dog.
bredie a meat and vegetable stew.
brei brey to speak with uvular r, especially in Afrikaans.
broekies underpants.
brommer brummer the bluebottle.
bru a friend.
casspir in S. Africa, an armoured military vehicle.
chakalaka a relish of tomatoes, onions and spices.
chommie a friend, chum.
chorrie a dilapidated old car.
couzin a friend.
craal kraal a pen for cattle; (verb) to enclose in such a pen.
crunchie an offensive word for an Afrikaaner.
dassie a small mammal, the hyrax. [Dutch dasje, dim. of das, badger].
dikkop the stone curlew.
dinges dingus an indefinite name for any person or thing whose name one cannot remember.
disselboom the single shaft of an ox-wagon or other cart.
doek a square cloth for tying round the head, worn by African women.
dof stupid.
dolos the knucklebone of a sheep used by diviners > DOLOSSE.
donder to beat up, thrash.
doorn a thorn.
doornboom a kind of acacia tree.
dop to fail to reach the required standard in an examination.
doppie a cartridge-case. [Dutch dop, shell, case].
dorp a S. African village or small town.
dronklap a drunkard.
dronkverdriet depressed after the consumption of alchohol.
drostdy the house and office of a LANDDROST > DROSTDYS or DROSTDIES.
drummy a drum majorette.
dumela hello, good morning.
duiker duyker a small S. African antelope.
eina an interjection expressing sudden pain.
dwaal a state of befuddlement.
eish interjection expressing surprise, dismay.
flatstick with great speed or effort.
foefie as in foefie slide, a rope, fixed at an incline, along which a person suspended on a pulley may traverse a space, esp across a river.
fricadel frikkadel a fried ball of mincemeat.
fynbos in South Africa, an area of low shrubs > FYNBOSES. [Dutch fijn, fine + bosch, bush].
gatvol fed up.
geelbek a yellow-jawed fish
gemsbok gemsbuck a South African antelope, having long, sharp, nearly straight horns.
gemclip a paperclip.
gogga an insect, a creepy-crawly.
grysbok a small South African antelope, speckled with gray and chestnut. [Dutch 'grey buck'].
haanepoot hanepoot honeypot a kind of grape. [Dutch haane-poot, cockfoot].
hadedah a lare greyish-green ibis.
hairyback an offensive name for an Afrikaaner.
hamba go away.
hammerkop a bird of the heron family. [Dutch 'hammer-head'].
handlanger an unskilled assistant to a tradesman.
hartbees hartebeest hartbeest a large S. African antelope.
highveld a high altitude grassland region of E. S. Africa.
howzit a greeting, how is it going.
inspan to yoke e.g. oxen to a vehicle.
isit an expression used in response to a statement, sometimes to seek confirmation but often merely to show that one is listening.
jaap a simpleton or country bumpkin.
jambok sjambok a rhinoceros-hide whip; (verb) to beat with this. N.B. SJAMBOKED/SJAMBOKING and SJAMBOKKED/SJAMBOKKING, but only JAMBOKKED/JAMBOKKING.
jinne+ jirre an exclamation indicating surprise, shock etc.
jol to have a good time > JOLS, JOLLING, JOLLED
joller one who JOLS, has a good time
jong a friend, esp. as an address
jukskei an outdoor game similar to quoits. [Afrik. yuk, yoke + skei, pin].
kaal naked.
kabeljou kabeljouw a large S. African fish.
jaap a simpleton or country bumpkin.
jackroll to rob a drunken or sleeping person.
kak faeces, rubbish.
kaross A S. African garment of animal skins.
kerel a chap or fellow
kiaat a tropical leguminous tree
kiff excellent.
kingklip any of several marine food fishes.
klap to slap or smack.
kleinhuisie an outside lavatory.
klipdas the Cape HYRAX, an African mammal, like a woodchuck but more closely related to ungulates. [Dutch = 'rock badger'].
klipspringer a small, hoofed African antelope.
kloof a deep ravine in South Africa.
konfyt a preserve of fruit, in syrup or candied.
kop a hill.
kopje koppie a low hill.
kotch to vomit.
krans krantz kranz a crown of rock on a mountain-top. [Dutch krans, a wreath].
kurvey to transport goods by wagon. [Dutch karwei, work].
kurveyor a carrier of goods by wagon. [Dutch karwei, work].
laager a defensive ring of ox-wagons; (verb) to arrange wagons in such a ring.
laer = LAAGER, a camp; (verb) to make camp.
landdros landdrost in South Africa, a district magistrate or sheriff.
lapje lappie a rag or piece of cloth.
larney a white person.
lekker pleasing, tasty
loslyf a promiscuous female.
lowveld the lower altitude areas of the eastern Transvaal.
mampara a foolish person.
mampoer home-made brandy distilled from peaches, prickly pear etc.
marabi a kind of music popular in townships in the 1930s.
mealie mealy mielie an ear of maize.
mebos salted or sugared dried apricots.
meneer a title of respect for a man
mevrou a title of respect for a woman
middelmannetjie a ridge between the ruts made by wheels in a dirt road.
middelskot in S. Africa, an intermediate payment to a farmer for a crop or wool-clip.
moer a despicable person; (verb) to attack someone
mooi fine.
mosbolletjie in S. Africa, a sweet bun made of dough leavened with grape must.
moskonfyt a thick syrup made from grapes.
naartje nartjie naartjie a small sweet orange like the mandarin. [Afk. f. Tamil narattai citrus].
nachtmaal an older form of NAGMAAL, a Dutch Reformed Church Sacrament, the Lord's Supper.
nadors thirst brought on by excessive consumption of alcohol.
nagapie the bush-baby or nocturnal lemur. [Dutch 'night ape'].
nagmaal a Dutch Reformed Church Sacrament, the Lord's Supper. [= 'night meal'].
necklacing the punishment of having a petrol-soaked tyre placed round the neck or shoulders and set alight, traditionally used by black people on those thought to be government sympathizer.
nek a COL, a pass over mountains.
nkosi a term of address to a superior.
nooit an interjection expressing surprise.
oke a man.
oom uncle.
opgefok damaged, bungled.
oribi ourebi a small South African antelope.
oubaas someone senior to oneself
ouma a grandmother
oupa a grandfather
outspan to unharness a draft animal.
padkos snacks and provisions for a journey.
palmiet a S. African aloe-like riverside plant of the rush family.
pampoen a pumpkin.
perlemoen a sea creature with a shell lined with mother-of-pearl
plaas a farm
platanna the African clawed frog.
platteland rural districts.
poep a fart, a despicable person; (verb) to break wind
poepol a slang word for the anus.
pondok pondokkie a crudely built hut made of tin sheet
poort a mountain pass.
potjie a three-legged iron pot used for cooking over a wood fire.
pronk of a springbok, to leap in the air. [Du. pronken, to show off].
randlord in S. Africa, a 19th century mining magnate.
ratel an African badger, aka honey-badger.
reebok rhebok a S. African antelope.
regmaker a drink taken to counterct the effect of a hangover
reitbok the reedbuck.
renosterveld an area of high altitude in S. Africa, having fertile ground.
riem a raw-hide thong.
riempie a long RIEM about the width of a shoelace, used as string.
ringhals rinkhals an African snake that spits its venom > RINGHALSES, RINKHALSES.
roadworthy in S. Africa, a certificate for a roadworthy vehicle.
rondavel in S. Africa, a round hut with a grass roof. [Afrik. rondawel].
rooibos a kind of tea prepared from the dried leaves of an African plant > ROOIBOSES
rooikat a S. African lynx
rooinek an Afrikaans nickname for an English-speaking person. [Afrikaans = 'red neck'].
sammy an Indian fruit and vegetable seller who goes from house to house.
samp a coarsely ground maize.
sarmie a sandwich.
scamto the argot of S. African blacks.
schanse schantze schanze a heap of stones used as protection against rifle-fire.
schelm skelm a rascal.
schimmel a roan-coloured horse.
shweshwe an African cotton print fabric.
sies an interjection expressing disgust.
sif syphilitic, nasty.
sitkamer a sitting-room
sjoe an interjection expressing surprirse, admiration etc.
skeef at an oblique angle
skollie skolly a coloured hooligan.
skrik a fright.
skyf a cigarette or substance for smoking; (verb) to smoke > SKYFS, SKYFING, SKYFED.
sloot sluit in S. Africa, a narrow water-channel.
smaak to like or love.
smouser in S. Africa, a pedlar.
snoep tight-fisted.
sosatie a skewer of curried meat pieces.
sourveld in S. Africa, a type of grazing characterised by long coarse grass.
soutie soutpiel derogatory for an English-speaking S. African.
spekboom a South African succulent shrub of the purslane family. [Dutch 'bacon tree'].
spanspek a tough-skinned melon
spaza as in spaza shop, a small shop in a township. No —S.
springbok a S. African antelope, that moves in leaps when alarmed.
springhaas springhase a S. African nocturnal rodent.
spruit a small stream flowing only in the wet season.
staffrider a person who illegally rides on the outside of a suburban train.
steenbras an edible estuarine S. African fish. [Dutch = 'stone bream'].
steenbok steinbok steenbuck a small S. African antelope. [Du. steen, stone + bok, buck].
stokvel in S. Africa, an informal savings pool or syndicate.
stompie a cigarette butt; a short man.
stukkend broken or wretched.
suiplap a drunkard.
sweetveld a type of grazing characterised by sweet grass.
taal language, usu. by implication Afrikaans.
tannie aunt, a title of respect for older woman.
takky a tennis shoe or plimsoll.
tik slang term for the drug methamphetamine in crystal form.
toebie a sandwich.
toktokkie a large S. African beetle.
tripple a horse's ambling canter, between a fast walk and a trot; (verb) to proceed at this pace.
trippler a horse that tripples.
tronk jail.
tsotsitaal street slang.
ubuntu a quality of humanity and compassion.
uitlander a foreigner, esp. a Briton in the Transvaal.
veld veldt open grassland. [Afrikaans veld, from Dutch veld, field].
veldschoen veldskoen velskoen a shoe made of rawhide.
verkramp in South Africa, narrow-minded and illiberal esp. towards black and coloured people. Cf. VERKRAMPTE.
verkrampte in South Africa, (one who is) narrow-minded and illiberal esp. towards black and coloured people. Cf. VERKRAMP, but VERKRAMPTE can be a noun with plural VERKRAMPTES.
verlig politically liberal. Cf. VERLIGTE.
verligte in South Africa, (one who is) liberal, politically enlightened. Cf. VERLIG, but VERLIGTE can be a noun with plural VERLIGTES.
vetkoek a deep-fried cake.
vlei vly low-lying ground where a shallow lake forms in the wet season.
voema vigour.
voertsak voertsek voetsak voetsek an offensive expression of rejection.
volk the Afrikaner people.
volksraad a legislative assembly, esp. (with cap.) that of the Transvaal or Orange Free State.
voorkamer a front room, esp. of a farmhouse
voorskot advance payment made to a farmer for crops
voortrekker one of the Dutch farmers from Cape Colony who took part in the Great Trek into the Transvaal in 1836.
vrot rotten, putrid
vrou a woman, esp. a married woman
vrystater a native inhabitant of the Free State, esp one who is White.
waboom wagenboom a South African proteaceous tree; also, its tough wood, used for making wagon wheels. [Dutch = 'wagon-tree'].
wena you.
whenwe a white immigrant from Zimbabwe.
witblits a strong home-distilled alcoholic spirit. [Afr. wit, white + blits, lightning].
witgat witgatboom a South African evergreen tree with edible roots used as a coffee substitute when roasted. [Afk., f. wit, white + gat, hole].
yebo yes, I agree.
zol a cannabis cigarette.