umlungu

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Zulu umlungu.

Noun

umlungu (plural umlungus or abelungu)

  1. (South Africa, often derogatory) A white person.
    • 1992, Colin Bender, Makapan odyssey, page 166:
      No, the average Bantu always had a dilemma; live with the wild tribes and never know when some witchdoctor's tagati would strike him down; or live with the umlungus and respect his authority (and his sjambok).
    • 2013, Samuel Muggington, People of the Stones:
      The old man snorted and laughed, “Is your teacher an umlungu?”

Synonyms

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

Noun

úḿlungu class 1 (plural bélungu class 2)

  1. white person

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

According to the Greater Dictionary of IsiXhosa, the term also referred to a “member of the abeLungu clan descended from whites shipwrecked on the Pondoland coast circa 1700 and absorbed by the Pondos ... ” Many White South Africans believe that it means "scum of the sea".[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [úḿ̩luːᵑɡṳ]

Noun

úḿlungu class 1 (plural ábélungu class 2)

  1. white person

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

References

  1. ^ [1]

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /uḿ̩luːnɡu/

Noun

uḿlungu class 1 (plural abélungu class 2)

  1. white person
  2. (South Africa, slang) a fellow black person, especially one who is richer or more famous[1]

Inflection

Class 1/2 (locative kumlungu)
singular plural
full form umlungu abelungu
simple form mlungu belungu
locative kumlungu kubelungu
copulative ngumlungu ngabelungu
Possessive forms
singular plural
modifier substantive modifier substantive
class 1 womlungu owomlungu wabelungu owabelungu
class 2 bomlungu abomlungu babelungu ababelungu
class 3 womlungu owomlungu wabelungu owabelungu
class 4 yomlungu eyomlungu yabelungu eyabelungu
class 5 lomlungu elomlungu labelungu elabelungu
class 6 omlungu awomlungu abelungu awabelungu
class 7 somlungu esomlungu sabelungu esabelungu
class 8 zomlungu ezomlungu zabelungu ezabelungu
class 9 yomlungu eyomlungu yabelungu eyabelungu
class 10 zomlungu ezomlungu zabelungu ezabelungu
class 11 lomlungu olomlungu lwabelungu olwabelungu
class 14 bomlungu obomlungu babelungu obabelungu
class 15 komlungu okomlungu kwabelungu okwabelungu
class 17 komlungu okomlungu kwabelungu okwabelungu

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ [2]
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