Afrikaner, noun and & adjective
- Forms:
-
α. Show more Africaner, Africanor, Afrikaaner, Afrikaner;
β. Show more Africaander, Africander, Afrikaander, Afrikander.
- Origin:
- Afrikaans, South African Dutch, DutchShow more Afrikaans, from South African Dutch Africander, from Dutch Afrikaan African + suffix -der, -er signifying ‘belonging to’.
A. noun
1. Any of several species of indigenous flowering plants of the Iridaceae, especially of the genus Gladiolus, but also of Homoglossum and Antholyza. Also attributive, and with distinguishing epithets designating different species, as mauve Afrikaner, pink Afrikaner, small brown Afrikaner, etc. See also gladiolus.
α.
1801 J. Barrow Trav. I. 25The Gladiolus, which is here called Africaner, is uncommonly beautiful with its tall waving spike of striped flowers.
1985 A. Tredgold Bay between Mountains 161There were afrikaners, painted ladies, proteas and many other flowers on the hills.
β.
1861 ‘A Lady’ Life at Cape (1963) 36The smell of the sugar and buchu bushes, and the pungent odour of the bulbs and Africander lilies peeping out under their skirts, are the best cures I know for a nervous headache.
1954 M. Kuttel Quadrilles & Konfyt 86Lettie Duckitt..remembers seeing Miss North painting the scarlet Africanders at Groote Post.
2.
a. A Dutch-speaking (or later Afrikaans-speaking) white inhabitant of South Africa, usually of Dutch, German, or Huguenot descent; African noun2; Dutchman sense 1 a. Also attributive. See also Boer sense 2, South African Dutch noun phrase sense 2.
α.
1820 T. Philipps Philipps, 1820 Settler (1960) 57I could not help reflecting on the characters of the Africaners (as they call themselves, distinguishing those who come from even any part of Europe as Vaderlandvolk or Fatherland People).
1991 K. Owen in Sunday Times 24 Feb. 21Somewhere in the 60s the Nationalists took the Afrikaners as a people across a moral precipice.
β.
1822 W.J. Burchell Trav. I. 21All those who are born in the colony speak that language (sc. Dutch), and call themselves Africaanders, whether of Dutch, German or French origin.
1990 R. Stengel January Sun 33By the late eighteenth century, the Cape community had formed its own distinctive identity. The people were known as Boers — farmers — and they called themselves Afrikanders, later Afrikaners, the people of Africa.
b. With qualifying word: New Afrikaner, a person of Afrikaans descent who rejects the conservative and insular aspects of white Afrikaans-speaking society (see also alternative); super Afrikaner, see quotation 1991.
α.
1986 Style July 63The hostess..sends a frantic eyebrow signal to the New Afrikaner. Van, a large, jolly dynamo in a navy-and-grey striped suit with matching navy-and-grey striped tie (made in Germany, acquired in Windhoek), instantly comes to the rescue.
1991 A. Van Wyk Birth of New Afrikaner 27A stereotype ‘super’ Afrikaner..may best be defined as an uncompromising Afrikaans-speaking Christian Nationalist and uncritical apartheid supporter...Most of them were either members or supporters of the secret Afrikaner Broederbond...According to the yardstick of the ‘supers’ I didn’t qualify as a ‘true’ Afrikaner.
3. [Named for the clan founder, Jager Afrikaner (d. 1823).] oorlam noun sense 2. Also attributive.
α.
1840 J. Tindall Jrnl (1959) 19In company with our two friends we set off at 8 p.m. to visit the outpost of the Afrikaners at Jerusalem.
1987 D. Haarhoff in Eng. Academy Rev. Vol.4 28His cries at birth were lost in war cries against the Afrikaner Nama.
8. rare. Any South African, irrespective of colour, language, or descent.
α.
1973 A. Small in Weekend Post 24 Mar. 1I would want ‘Afrikaner’ now to translate as ‘African’, just as ‘Amerikaner’ translates as ‘American’. In this sense we are all Afrikaners (when we are described in Afrikaans), whether we be black, blue, pink, or what have you.
1980 Het Suid-Western 13 JuneThe Rev Martin Kota, of the Church of Christ, gave a talk on the unity of ‘all Afrikaners, white, black, brown or yellow’.
9. Either of two plant species of the genus Tagetes, family Asteraceae, indigenous to Mexico: T. erecta (also known as African marigold), or T. minuta (also known as kleinafrikaner); see also khaki bush (khaki adjective sense 1 b).
B. adjective Of, pertaining to, or descriptive of Afrikaans-speaking people; Afrikaans adjective; Afrikander adjective sense 1; cf. boere sense 1 a. See also Dutch adjective sense 1.
α.
1950 H. Gibbs Twilight in S. Afr. 230In every respect, at all times, the children of Afrikaner people are to be kept separate from all others in South Africa, including the children of English-speaking people.
1991 A.C. LoBaido in Sunday Star 21 July (Review) 5I find it hard to argue with Terreblanche’s dissertation of the Boer claim, via international law, for an Africaner nation.
Any of several species of indigenous flowering plants of the Iridaceae, especially of the genus Gladiolus, but also of Homoglossum and Antholyza. Also attributive, and with distinguishing epithets designating different species, as mauve Afrikaner, pink Afrikaner, small brown Afrikaner, etc.
A Dutch-speaking (or later Afrikaans-speaking) white inhabitant of South Africa, usually of Dutch, German, or Huguenot descent; African noun2; Dutchman sense 1 a. Also attributive.
New Afrikaner, a person of Afrikaans descent who rejects the conservative and insular aspects of white Afrikaans-speaking society (see also alternative); super Afrikaner, see quotation 1991.
oorlam noun sense 2. Also attributive.
Variant of Afrikander noun sense 3.
Variant of Afrikander noun sense 7.
Variant of Afrikander noun sense 4.
Variant of Afrikander noun sense 2.
Any South African, irrespective of colour, language, or descent.
T. erecta (also known as African marigold), or T. minuta (also known as kleinafrikaner);
Of, pertaining to, or descriptive of Afrikaans-speaking people; Afrikaans adjective; Afrikander adjective sense 1;
- Derivatives:
- Hence (all nouns, from sense A 2 a) Afrikanerhood, Afrikanerness, Afrikanership, Afrikanerskap [Afrikaans -skap -ship].1956 J.C. Van Rooy in M. Rogers Black Sash 148Those who are Afrikaans-speaking, of Protestant faith, of clean character, who are firm in the principle of maintaining their Afrikanerhood.1973 Weekend Post 30 June 22Although they spoke Afrikaans they had no claim to Afrikanership, he said.
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