vaal, adjective

/fɑːl/
Forms:
Formerly also fahl.
Origin:
Dutch.
1. Pale; grey, fawn, tawny.
1821 [see quot. at vaalblaar (sense 2 below)].
1886 G.A. Farini Through Kalahari Desert 316Straight to that vaal koppje (grey hill), and there off-saddle for a bit.
1919 J.Y. Gibson in S. Afr. Jrnl of Science July 4Common names were..Vaaltyn (or possibly Vaaltuijn, ‘Fallow garden’) for a vaal or dun-coloured beast.
1939 P. Louw in Outspan 6 Oct. 29Another fallacy cherished by many South Africans concerns the so-called types of lion. They speak derogatively of the vaal or dun-coloured animal as inferior to the black-maned breed.
1970 D. Van Schoor Informant, KleinbrakrivierAfter the heavy rain the river water has a vaal colour.
1972 A.A. Telford Yesterday’s Dress 119For everyday use clothes were made of coarser and stronger material; usually moleskin, and they were brown, vaal, and pale yellow.
2. Special collocations
vaalblaar. obsolete [South African Dutch, blaar leaf], the plant Aloe striata;
vaalboom/-bʊəm/ [Afrikaans, boom tree], the evergreen tree Terminalia sericea of the Combretaceae; mogonono;
vaalbrak/-brak/ [Afrikaans, brak salty], saltbush sense a;
vaaldoring/-dʊərəŋ/ [Afrikaans, doring thorn], the thorn tree Acacia haematoxylon; also called camel-thorn; also attributive;
vaalhaai/-haɪ/ [Afrikaans, haai shark], the tope Galeorhinus galeus; also attributive;
vaal korhaan, see korhaan sense 1 b;
vaal rhebok, see rhebok sense 2;
vaal rhebuck, see rhebuck sense 2.
1821 C.I. Latrobe Jrnl of Visit 64The waste produces some beautiful plants,..particularly..the Fahlblar, a species of aloe, the leaves of which are round, of a pale blue colour.
1926 Farming in S. Afr. Sept. 199 (Swart)It is common on hillsides and on flat ground, especially in localities where Vaalboom grows.
1961 Palmer & Pitman Trees of S. Afr. 250The graceful silver-grey foliage of the vaalboom is one of the loveliest features of the sandy areas of the Transvaal bushveld.
1971 B. De Winter in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 342 (caption)Vaalboom (Terminalia Sericea) in the Bushveld.
1932 Farming in S. Afr. Apr. 5 (Swart)Vaalbrak was one of the plants sampled.
1971 J.P. Botha in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. IV. 602The different ganna species.., vaalbrak (Atriplex capensis) and rivier-draaibos..are examples of plants with an exceptionally high nutritional value that are found in the Karoo.
1970 S. Afr. Panorama Nov. 70The wide savannahs where Kameeldoring (camel-thorn tree), Vaaldoring and Witgat (Shepherd’s tree) trees keep watch, have not shrunk.
1947 K.H. Barnard Pict. Guide to S. Afr. Fishes 10Vaal-haay,..This medium-sized (6 feet) cosmopolitan shark has recently become of considerable economic importance in South Africa for the extraction of vitamins from its liver-oil.
1958 Cape Argus 14 June 13The vaalhaai..grows to about 6 ft. and is harmless to man.
1969 J.R. Grindley Riches of Sea 99The vaalhaai, (Galeorhinus galeus), is caught commercially, particularly in the Cape between Gansbaai and Cape Town.
1982 E. Prov. Herald 15 July 3Shark biltong is made from the vaalhaai and the ratelhaai sharks caught off Gansbaai.
Pale; grey, fawn, tawny.
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18211982
Uwusa, nounn.vaalbos, nounn.
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