South Africa

/ˌsaʊθ ˈæf.ɹɪ.kə/

[sɑɤ̯ˈθɛ̞frɘkə]

From Union of South Africa, the country's former official name, referring to its origin from the unification of four formerly separate British colonies.

South Africa
South Africa (disambiguation)

Republic of South Africa
Republic of South Africa#English

A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of South Africa. Capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein.

Kéyah Naakai Łizhinii Bikéyah Shádiʼááhjí Siʼánígíí


pommy

From pom + -y (“diminutive suffix”). Australian from 1912.

Though Sir Oswald had taken on enough London veneer to be sneered at as a pommy in certain Australian circles, he had never acquired the high-class Englishman′s apparent equanimity or indifference before the prospect of cuckolding.

1931, Miles Franklin, Back to Bool Bool, page 140:

Rhona nodded her agreement. ‘That′s a very interesting answer from a new Aussie – and a Pommy into the bargain,’ she added.

2007, Tony Parsons, Silver in the Sun, unnumbered page:

During one of these acts of bravery by the English pilots I saw a great big tough Aussie with tears of frustration streaming down his face. He was shouting, ‘You magnificent, stupid Pommy bastard!’

2009, Robert Holman, On Paths of Ash: The Extraordinary Story of an Australian Prisoner of War, unnumbered page:

(Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, often derogatory) A pom; a person of British descent, a Briton; an Englishman.


South African

Of, from, or pertaining to South Africa, or the South African people.


rand

Named after Witwatersrand; the last element is Afrikaans rand (“ridge”), from Dutch rand, from Old Saxon rand, from Germanic *randaz. Compare Etymology 1, and Rand.
The sense of currency is because of gold that was extracted from the Witwatersrand rocks.

The currency of South Africa, divided into 100 cents.


springbok

en-noun

springbok (plural springbok or springboks)

Borrowed from Afrikaans springbok, from Dutch springbok, from springen (“to jump, spring”) + bok (“buck, billy goat, antelope”).

A small, fast antelope native to southern Africa, Antidorcas marsupialis.


RSA

(South Africa) Initialism of Republic of South Africa.


mud

mud (countable and uncountable, plural muds)

From Middle English mud, mudde, mode, probably a borrowing from Middle Dutch mod, modde or Middle Low German mudde, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (“mud”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (“moist”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Mudde (“mud”), Middle High German mot (“mud”), Swedish modd (“slush”). Compare also suffixed variants West Frisian modder (“mud”), Dutch modder (“mud”), German Low German Mudder (“mud”), German Moder (“moldiness, mildew, decay”), English mother (“vinegar-forming sediment in alcohol”), Danish mudder (“mud”).
Alternative etymology suggests the Proto-Germanic word is possibly borrowed from a Uralic language (compare e.g. Finnish muta (“mud”), Northern Sami mođđi (“mud”), from Proto-Uralic *muďa).

cog

throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick


Venda

A former self-governing Black African homeland in South Africa.


Krugerrand

Named for the obverse's picture of Paul Kruger, former president of the South African Republic.

(numismatics) A gold coin minted in South Africa, containing a full troy ounce of gold.


protea

Named after Proteus, the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape.

Any of many South African flowering plants, of the genus Protea, having colourful cone-shaped flower heads.


South African English

A dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries.

südafrikanisches Englisch (Südafrikanisches Englisch n)


bantustan

From a Bantu language (ultimately from Proto-Bantu *bantʊ̀ (“people”)) + -stan (“home of”, suffix of Persian origin), after place names such as Hindustan.

affix

(originally South Africa, historical) Any of ten former territories defined as homelands for black South Africans under apartheid policy

bantoestan

territory defined as a homeland for black South Africans


Springboks

The South African national rugby union team.


Ciskei

From Afrikaans Ciskei, analyzable in English as cis- + Kei (in reference to the Great Kei River; hence literally “on this side of the Kei River”, as opposed to Transkei.

A former bantustan in the southeast of South Africa, formed in 1961, declared independent in 1981, and reintegrated in 1993.


malva pudding

From malva in reference to the hue of the crust; compare mauve.

(South Africa) A sweet spongy pudding from South Africa made with apricot jam.


IBSA

(politics, economics) Initialism of India, Brazil and South Africa.


BRICS

As shown by the BRICS expansion and the long waiting list to join, Xi’s offer of an alternative world order is finding receptive ears in the Global South, where many countries feel themselves marginalized in an international system they see as dominated by the US and its wealthy allies.

2023 August 28, “BRICS expansion is a big win for China. But can it really work as a counterweight to the West?”, in CNN:

(geopolitics, economics) Acronym of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa: an international economic organization comprising these fast-growing economies.


Republic of South Africa

the Republic of South Africa (canonical)

The official name of South Africa, a country in Southern Africa.

南アフリカ共和国

みなみアフリカきょうわこく


Capetonian

From Cape Town (with town changed to -ton) + -ian.

Of, from, or pertaining to Cape Town, South Africa.


Durbanite

An inhabitant of Durban in South Africa.


black diamond

en-noun

black diamond (countable and uncountable, plural black diamonds)

conspicuous consumption
conspicuous consumption

(South Africa, derogatory) A member of the new affluent black middle class in South Africa, characterized by conspicuous consumption.


Pretorian

en-adj

Pretorian (comparative more Pretorian, superlative most Pretorian)

more Pretorian (comparative)
most Pretorian (superlative)

Of, from, or pertaining to Pretoria, South Africa.


Transkei

From trans- + Kei (in reference to the Great Kei River in South Africa).

(historical) A bantustan and nominal parliamentary democracy (capital Umtata) in southeastern South Africa.


Epping

en-proper noun

Epping (countable and uncountable, plural Eppings)

From Old English yppe (“upland”) + ing (“meadow”).

An industrial area in Cape Town, Western Cape province, South Africa.


Bophuthatswana

(historical) A former bantustan in the northwestern region of South Africa.


Union of South Africa

(historical) The official English name of the country of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, a former country in Southern Africa and Commonwealth dominion under nominal British sovereignty until it became a republic in 1961.


Walmer

Walmer (countable and uncountable, plural Walmers)

From Old English wealh (“Welshman”), genitive plural weala + mere (“lake, sea”).

A neighbourhood in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.


The Call of South Africa

Calque of Afrikaans Die Stem van Suid-Afrika

calque

a former national anthem of South Africa, created during the 1920s and used from the 1930s to the 1990s.


Sou'frican

If it wasn't for the Sou'frican Plan, I have no doubt, we'd all be slouching and moaning right now.

2006, Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, page 104:


Oranje, Blanje, Blou

When we went to a rugby game in Cape Town, we saw some Springbok supporters waving the Oranje, Blanje, Blou flag.

A former national flag of South Africa, used from 1928 to 1994, during the apartheid era.


Oilgate

A South African political scandal in which the petrol company Imvume Holdings was accused of paying millions of state money to the ruling African National Congress shortly before elections.


Johannesburger

By using a midget, skin-tight car of the kind made in Italy the Johannesburger might save himself much tribulation, but he likes large and glittering things, and would rather toil round his city in vain search of a place to put his supercharged, supergrinning Mammalac than use a baby car.

1949, Douglas Reed, Somewhere South of Suez: A Further Survey of the Grand Design of the Twentieth Century, page 48:

A Johannesburger will seldom ask a visitor what he thinks of the city.

1978, Johannesburg: The Cosmopolitan City, page 7:

All Refilwe knew was that Lerato was a Johannesburger.

2001, Phaswane Mpe, Welcome to Our Hillbrow: A Novel of Postapartheid South Africa, Ohio University Press, →ISBN, page 81:


Transkeian

en-adj

Transkeian (comparative more Transkeian, superlative most Transkeian)

more Transkeian (comparative)
most Transkeian (superlative)


Mpondo

A Southern African Nguni ethnic group having their traditional homeland in the modern-day Eastern Cape province of South Africa.


North Beach

Coordinate term: South Beach

A neighbourhood of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.


South Beach

Coordinate term: North Beach


Vendan

Vendan (comparative more Vendan, superlative most Vendan)

more Vendan (comparative)
most Vendan (superlative)


Bophuthatswanan

Bophuthatswanan (comparative more Bophuthatswanan, superlative most Bophuthatswanan)

more Bophuthatswanan (comparative)
most Bophuthatswanan (superlative)


Bophuthatswanan

A native or inhabitant of Bophuthatswana.


Ciskeian

Ciskeian (comparative more Ciskeian, superlative most Ciskeian)

more Ciskeian (comparative)
most Ciskeian (superlative)


blue crane

Grus paradisea
Grus paradisea#Translingual

Grus paradisea, a bird of the crane (Gruidae) family


CIVETS

(geopolitics, economics) Acronym of Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa: an international economic organization comprising these fast-growing economies.