Bush, adjective2 and & noun2
- Origin:
- From Bushman.
A. adjective Of or pertaining to the San people; frequently an element in special collocations, as Bush-boy, a San boy or man, and Bush-woman. Cf. Bosjes-menschen (see Bosjesman sense 1).
1790 W. Paterson Narr. of Four Journeys 71An excursion to the Hantum..called the Boshmens’ Land, from its being inhabited by the Bush Hottentots..a very different people from the other peaceable and well-disposed inhabitants of this region.
1991 F.G. Butler Local Habitation 191Bored stones..beautifully shaped by millions of years in river beds or long-since shifted shores, searched for, and found by a ‘Bushman’, or, more likely, Bush woman, and then patiently pierced by boring with a harder stone..from either side.
B. noun A name given to the languages of the Khoisan peoples. Also attributive.
1928 E.H.L. Schwarz Kalahari & its Native Races 177Their language is sometimes Bush, but more often a jargon of Sechuana.
1985 G.T. Nurse et al. Peoples of Sn Afr. 108The Nharo..are speakers of a ‘Central Bush’ or Tshu-Khwe language, one of the Hottentot (Khoi) language family...The ‘Southern Bush’ languages are spoken by the G!aokx’ate in Namibia and by the more numerous !Xo in Botswana.
Visualise Quotations
Quotation summarySenses
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.