muntu, noun

/ˈmʊntu/
Forms:
Also munthu, umntu, and with initial capital.
Origin:
Personal noun prefix mu- + noun stem ntu human being (plural bantu), common to many Sintu (Bantu) languages. Cf. Bantu.
1. A human being; (offensive, often derogatory) a Black person.
Note:
Cf. Bantu (especially adjective sense 2 a); the term ‘Bantu’ was debased by its use as an ethnic label during the apartheid era.
1920 S.M. Molema Bantu Past & Present 305The average ‘Muntu’ (pl. Bantu) cares little and knows less about politics.
1937 E.G. Malherbe Educ. Adaptations in Changing Soc. 500Standard of development will be judged by the extent to which the Native has ceased to be an Umuntu and has become a European.
1941 A. Maqelepo in Bantu World 15 Feb. 5We are confused as to whether we are to be described as Kaffirs, Coloureds, Bantu, Negroes or even Africans...To be called an umuntu is far too general, but to call us African or Negro is honourable and precise.
1949 C. Bullock Rina 8A coloured man of the skolly type swayed arm-in-arm with a native — a Black African, a Munthu.
1962 M. Brandel-Syrier Black Woman 112The concept Muntu is central for the understanding of the Bantu idea of ‘man’, and the basis of Bantu psychology. Only in so far as..the individual has ‘life strength’, is he truly Muntu which is humanus rather than homo.
[1965 D. Marais Ag, Sis Man! (cartoon)Baas Nel, I hear South Africa’s first astronaut will be a Zulu, so they can call him Moon-to.]
1972 S. Lynne Glittering Gold 45I’m telling you! I spotted him entering the cage. I grabbed this hard hat from a muntu’s head and took the next cage down.
1973 Daily Dispatch 6 Aug. 8One never hears white government officials referring to a particular ‘umntu’ so why the predilection for ‘Bantu’.
1975 Drum 22 Apr. 4When offered a palace he said without malice I’m not a play-white, I’m a muntu.
a1956 H.I.E. Dhlomo in Visser & Couzens Collected Works (1985) 429Any person who stands between the ‘Muntu’ and his cattle would be crushed to death.
1986 Drum Aug. 55My colleague and I here have been arguing about you. He says you can walk around Thekwini because you are a coloured and don’t carry a pass. I say haikhona, you are a muntu.
1987 ‘High Voltage Vusi’ in Pace June 16Really gave this voteless, voiceless, rubber-black muntu a bellyful of guffaws.
2. Derogatory and offensive. munt. Also attributive.
1977 Drum Mar. 2Always having our interest at heart, 20 years ago the mlungu decided that there must be a special type of education for the primitive muntu mind.
1978 Het Suid-Western 22 Feb.Today’s in word incidentally — for the singular of ‘bantu’ is ‘muntu’. But ‘muntu’ if anything is even more offensive than ‘bantu’ in that it often gets shortened to ‘munt’.
1989 E. Bregin Kayaboeties 13‘It’s a muntu song, man!’ he said disgustedly. ‘What did you have to go and write a song about a muntu for?’
A human being; (offensive, often derogatory) a Black person.
munt. Also attributive.
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19201989
munt, nounn.murumba, nounn.
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