Weeskamer, noun

/ˈvɪəskɑːmə(r)/
Origin:
DutchShow more Dutch, wees orphan + kamer chamber.
historical
Orphan Chamber.
1806 J. Barrow Trav. I. 362His crime..was an act of forgery on orphan property committed to the care of a constituted board in the Cape called the Weeskamer, or chamber of managing the effects of minors and orphans.
1832 Graham’s Town Jrnl 5 Oct. 156By the mass of the community the ‘Weeskamer’ has been considered as a perfect institution.
1957 L.G. Green Beyond City Lights 107The president of the Weeskamer threatened to drive him away from his office with a stick.
1984 Sunday Times 15 July (Business Times) 17In 1673 the Dutch East India Company established a Weeskamer (orphan chamber) at the Cape to administer deceased estates and look after the interests of orphans and others under legal disability. The Weeskamer was abolished in 1833.
1993 Business Day 27 May (Centenaries) 16BOE (sc. Board of Executors) was formed to replace the old Dutch Weeskamer.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18061993

Browse Related Words

By Category

Colonial Law

By Origin

Dutch

By Usage

historical
Wee Bill, noun phrasen. phr.weeskindertjies, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English