umqombothi, noun

/ˌ(ʊ)mǂɔmˈbɔːti/
Forms:
mqombothi, mqombotiShow more Also mqombothi, mqomboti, umqombhothi, umqomboti.
Origin:
IsiXhosa.
Among isiXhosa-speakers: tshwala sense a i; a non-alcoholic beer. Also attributive.
1948 E. Hellmann Rooiyard 47In Rooiyard, utywala is regarded as a generic name for beer of all kinds, while pure kafir-corn beer is termed mqombothi.
1972 Daily Dispatch 4 Aug. 2Mdantsane residents may brew mqomboti (African beer) in unlimited quantities provided it was for home consumption and not for sale.
1978 Daily Dispatch 27 June 1Afraid we can no longer afford bottled liquor — will you try a can of homemade marewu, or would you prefer mqombothi?
1980 E. Prov. Herald 16 May 4On another occasion I was introduced to African beer, umqombothi. The stuff was bitter and brown and I wondered what people enjoyed as their Adam’s apples went up and down.
1980 E. Joubert Long Journey of Poppie Nongena 111He worked over the sandy soil with ash from the fire and with mqomboti bran which she begged off beer-making people as manure was scarce.
1986 P.A. McAllister Xhosa Beer Drinks. 41Apart from the common utywala (Xhosa), utshwala (Zulu) or bjalwa (Sotho),..a variety of similar but non-alcoholic beverages were made. These include..umqombothi (Xhosa), unmature beer with no alcoholic content and mabudu or mapoto (Lovedu) which is light beer.
1987 Rhodeo (Rhodes Univ.) Apr. 4Umqomboti, made from a fermented mixture of maize meal, sorgum, sprouted mealies and water, was served in large communal tins which were passed around.
1987 M. Melamu Children of Twilight 309It took just one scale of ‘mqombothi’ to thaw and finally melt the ice.
1992 M. Mthethwa in Pace 37They’re drinking; lifting ‘scales’ of umqombothi, taking giant gulps and passing it to the next man.
tshwala sense a i; a non-alcoholic beer. Also attributive.
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19481992

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IsiXhosa
umphokoqo, nounn.umshologu, nounn.
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