bietjie, noun and & adverb

/ˈbɪki//ˈbici//ˈbitʃi/
Forms:
beetje, beetjieShow more Also beetje, beetjie, beitje, biekie, bietje.
Origin:
Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans ’n a + biejtie (earlier Dutch beetje) little, a bit.
colloquial
Usually ’n bietjie.
A little, some.
A. noun
c1838 A.G. Bain Jrnls (1949) 196I learned ein kleene beitje And left, with wisdom just as full As gekke tanta Meitje.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 59Bietje or (dial.) Biekie,..A little, a small portion or space.
1920 R. Juta Tavern 144De days I maak watermelon konfeit, en van der Hum brandy-vine, I says my praers in Dutch, to bring, mar, ein beitje luck to de brandy-vine.
1973 Y. Burgess Life to Live 10Wait a bietjie, Mr Levy said, pronouncing the word ‘beechie’ as the Cape Coloureds do.
1989 P. Lee in Sunday Times 26 Feb. (Mag. Sect.) 36Consider the humble Vellie. Originally crudely crafted from a stukkie vel and net ’n bietjie leather, the velskoen has become one of the country’s greatest treasures.
B. adverb.
1943 Weekend News & Sunday Mag. 20 Mar. 4We is hoping jou will nort be too hard on Dok Malan bekos he is er ou mense an hij is er beetje lopsided.
1977 S. Roberts in E. Pereira Contemp. S. Afr. Plays 239But it’s my weekend too. I want to relax. Bietjie relax. Why must I go driving round now?
1968 F.G. Butler Cape Charade 5‘Do you speak English?’..‘’n Bietjie — a little. I got it from my mother, Kaatje Kekkelbek.’
1983 [see dronk].
A little, some.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18381989

Browse Related Words

By Category

Language

By Origin

Afrikaans
Dutch

By Usage

colloquial
biesie, nounn.bietou, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English