lowveld, noun

/ˈləʊfelt/, /ˈləʊfɛlt/
Forms:
Also with initial capital, and (formerly) low veldt.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Partial translation of Afrikaans laeveld, lae low + veld (see veld).
The sub-tropical region of north-eastern South Africa, lying mostly at an altitude of under 600 metres, especially the Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) part of this region; low country. Also attributive. See also bushveld sense 1, highveld sense a.
Note:
One of the major Southern African physiographic regions, the lowveld is situated mainly in the Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga), but extends also into northern KwaZulu-Natal and into Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The boundaries of the region, based on vegetation, altitude, and prominent physical features, are not clearly defined.
1878 A. Aylward Tvl of Today 44It is unnecessary for me here to go at great length into the distinction of Highveld and Bushveld. It is sufficient for the purpose of this narrative to state that northward and eastward from Lydenberg, Bushveld and Lowveld are convertible terms.
1897 J.P. Fitzpatrick Outspan 34We were..trekking with loads from Delagoa Bay to Lydenburg, trekking slowly through the hot, bushy, low veld.
1903 E.F. Knight S. Afr. after War 286We were still in the low veldt, but throughout this trek we ever saw ahead of us the dark, well-defined ridge that forms the edge of the healthier, cooler, but less fertile and drier high veldt, 1,000 feet above us.
1905 Tvl Agric. Jrnl Oct. 141 (heading)Notes on the native flora and crops of the Lowveld of the Eastern Transvaal.
1923 S. Afr.: Land of Outdoor Life (S.A.R. & H.) 125The term Low Veld has been given to that portion of the country which lies below the 1,500 feet contour line, and which produces a more tropical vegetation.
1932 Farming in S. Afr. Sept. 233 (Swart)The Low Veld extends as far northwards and westwards as the Limpopo Valley.
1944 J. Mockford Here Are S. Africans 69The swamp-miasma and the tsetse-fly killed off his sheep, cattle and horses; while the lowveld mosquito gave malaria to the members of his clan.
1951 N.L. King Tree-Planting 58The low veld is sub-tropical...Altitude about 500 to 2,000 feet. Frostless. Temperatures up to 120°F in the shade during summer. Rainfall 15 to 20 inches in north increasing to 20–25 in southern portion. Area occupied by dry savannah-like type of bush consisting mainly of Acaciae.
1964 V. Pohl Dawn & After 131The winter holidays, when the low veld proper was free from malaria, were set aside for expeditions into what was then wild country.
1972 J.D. Keet in Daily Dispatch 6 May 10 (letter)Farmers trekked their sheep from the Free State to the better winter grazing of the Natal lowveld.
1974 A.P. Cartwright By Waters of Letaba 1The true Lowveld (officially defined as all the land that lies at the foot of the eastern escarpment of the Drakensberg at an altitude of less than 700 metres above sea-level).
1989 Cape Times 4 Sept. 6Within my lifetime, the deep Lowveld..was the refuge of adventurers, dirt farmers and dipsomaniacs.
1992 Pace Sept. 72Siteki looks down to the west on Swaziland’s harsh, dry lowveld.
1993 Getaway Nov. 77 (caption)The mixed woodlands of the southwestern corner of the Kruger National Park has perhaps the greatest diversity of trees found anywhere in the Lowveld.
The sub-tropical region of north-eastern South Africa, lying mostly at an altitude of under 600 metres, especially the Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) part of this region; low country. Also attributive.
Derivatives:
Hence Lowvelder  noun, an inhabitant of the lowveld. Cf. bushvelder (see bushveld).
1937 J. Stevenson-Hamilton S. Afr. Eden 67The General Manager..leaving his drink unfinished — almost a criminal act in the eyes of any old time low-velder — rushed off to stay the impending calamity.
1990 Weekend Post 6 Oct. (Leisure) 4The Lowvelders were often referred to as ‘those people from the mosquito country’.
1990 ‘Mrs Polly’ in Sunday Times 14 Oct. 20 (letter)Us Lowvelders see only half of what people on the Rand do, so why can’t we pay half the price?
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18781993

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Lowvelder

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Afrikaans
low country, noun phrasen. phr.LP, nounn.
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