umkhonto, noun

/umˈkɔntɔ/
Forms:
Also umconto, umkonto.
Origin:
IsiXhosa, isiZuluShow more IsiXhosa and isiZulu.
‖1. assegai sense 1 a.
1827 G. Thompson Trav. 413They charge with a single umconto, or spear.
1836 A.F. Gardiner Journey to Zoolu Country 103On a hunting expedition, or making a journey,..a single umkonto, with one or two straight sticks, is all they require.
1839 W.C. Harris Wild Sports 355Their principal weapon is a short spear, or assegai, termed umkonto, which is not thrown,..but used for stabbing, for which purpose they rush in at once upon their opponents.
1849 E.D.H.E. Napier Excursions in Sn Afr. II. 82Until the late introduction of fire-arms, the ‘umk’honto’ (or, as we term it, the assegai) and the ‘kierie’ were the only weapons used by the Kaffirs.
1860 A.W. Drayson Sporting Scenes 18An assagy is called umkonto.
1898 B. Mitford Induna’s Wife 118Now Jambula..made mock of our Zulu casting-spears. The broad-headed umkonto — ah, that, he said, was good for its own purpose.
1961 D. Bee Children of Yesterday 213Johannes wore a foot-long sheath-knife in his belt and leaning against the jeep was his short, heavy umkonto — the traditional Zulu stabbing assegai.
1963 A.M. Louw 20 Days 120Hunger is good, for it makes the anger sharp as the umkonto — spear.
2. Always with initial capital. A short form of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Also attributive.
1964 H.H.W. De Villiers Rivonia (Biogr. Appendix)His reason for not joining Umkhonto was that the National Executive of the A.N.C. thought it inadvisable that both he and Mandela should join.
1989 Sunday Times 15 Oct. 4Umkhonto (the ANC’s armed wing).
1991 R. Bezuidenhout in J. Pauw In Heart of Whore 266In Lusaka..I was kept under house arrest with other Umkhonto guerillas.
1993 Africa S. & E. Mar. 17The government has insisted that Umkhonto must first be disbanded and its members apply individually to join the SADF.
Always with initial capital.A short form of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Also attributive.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18271993

Browse Related Words

By Category

Traditional Weapons
Units and Formations

By Origin

IsiXhosa
IsiZulu

By Usage

elliptical
umhlahlo, nounn.Umkhonto we Sizwe, noun phrasen. phr.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English