Fatherland, noun

Origin:
Dutch
obs. except in historical contexts
Any of several breeds of imported livestock, especially certain types of cattle first introduced from Holland in the late 18th century, including the Friesland; cf. Vaderland adjective. Usually attributive.
1827 T. Philipps Scenes & Occurrences 13Several Devon bulls have been imported and some black from Holland; these are called as well as their produce, Vaderland, or Fatherland, and are certainly the best formed.
1831 S. Afr. Almanac & Dir. 160Hardy Bastard Fatherland Cattle are bred here.
1836 Albany Settlers 1824–36 (Soc. for the Relief of Distressed Settlers) 49They had between 50 and 60 head of Fatherland cattle, and about 250 sheep: the cattle are all lost.
1852 Durban Observer 9 Jan. (Pettman)The Fatherland, as the name betokens, is the pure European breed, without cross or admixture. They are a large sized, small headed, light-necked, and well-made breed noted as furnishing the best milch cows in the Colony.
1870 C. Hamilton Life & Sport in S.-E. Afr. 204The Kaffir..always declares that the Dutch were the first importers of it (sc. lungsickness), and with some truth, as it was said to have been unknown till brought out by an importation of Fatherland bulls.
a1878 J. Montgomery Reminisc. (1981) 110The Fatherland rams would not keep company with the Cape ewes.
1955 L.G. Green Karoo 146One writer noted: ‘It was very remarkable that the wool of the Fatherland sheep, sent to the Cape, improved so perceptibly by the change of climate.’
1957 Handbk for Farmers (Dept of Agric.) III. 39Van Rhyneveld..in 1804..refers to a Friesland bull and cow which Governor Van Plettenberg had imported 20 to 25 years before. Earlier references to imported cattle simply made mention of fatherland stock. Some of these were probably also cattle of the Friesland, or black-and-white type.
1972 J. Van Marle in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. V. 51According to some, Governor Van Plettenberg imported the first Frieslands from the Netherlands during 1774 when they were called ‘Fatherland cattle’.
Any of several breeds of imported livestock, especially certain types of cattle first introduced from Holland in the late 18th century, including the Friesland;
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18271972

Browse Related Words

By Category

Animal Husbandry
Breeds

By Origin

Dutch

By Usage

obsolete or obsolescent
fat cook, noun phrasen. phr.fathers, plural nounpl. n.
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.