Meaning of kaffir | Babel Free
/ˈkæfə/Definitions
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In Islamic contexts, a non-Muslim. countable, offensive
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Alternative letter-case form of kaffir. alt-of
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A member of the Nguni people of southern Africa, especially a Xhosa. countable, offensive
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A black person. Namibia, Rhodesia, South-Africa, countable, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
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A language spoken by the Nguni peoples of southern Africa, especially Xhosa. historical, offensive, uncountable
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South African mining shares countable, historical, slang, uncountable
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Ellipsis of kaffir corn. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable
Equivalents
Examples
“He […] put me in imminent danger of my life, by telling the natives that I was a Caffer, and not a Mussulman.”
“… the Hambonaas, a nation quite different from the Kaffers, having a yellowish complexion […].”
“I rang the bell, and a smiling Kafir boy answered it.”
“If you ask a Kaffir why he does so-and-so, he will answer—"How can I tell? It has always been done by our forefathers."”
“I once heard him say to the gardener, 'Come along, son.' His wife scolded him saying, 'He's not son, don't call him son, he's a kaffir.'”
“"… and today here a white man is calling me a kaffir. This term that I absolutely resented." And that, says Nofomela, is his political motive.”
“Monkey see, monkey do ... which in this case refers to the baboons in Rhodesia - proves just how vulnerable the whities are in the hands of the kaffirs.”
“This man, seeing a white person enter, moved aside for her, but she saw Joss's eyes on her, and said in kitchen kaffir, ‘No, when you've finished.’”
“Kaffirs bouyant most of last week”
“This market reports only one or two cars per day, selling by the hundred weight, and at a price a little lower than that of Indian corn. As to the purpose for which the marketed kaffir is used, there is some uncertainty.”
CEFR level
B1
Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B1 vocabulary — intermediate level.
This word is part of the CEFR B1 vocabulary — intermediate level.