Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A Xhosa.
- noun Used especially in southern Africa as a disparaging term for a black person.
- noun Often Offensive A Kafir.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun obsolete A blanket term for various native peoples of southern Africa.
- proper noun South Africa An
offensive term for ablack person. - proper noun A non-believer.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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October 19th, 2009 8: 50am phil, kaffir is nonbeliever the muslims call this to non muslims and it is Arabic, Kaffir, Kufri it doesn't really matter which way you want to say, they call this to Christians if they are white black or yellow, Jewish, Hindu, Chinese, it is not limited to black Africans like South African Christians it is nothing to do with Africans or black because you can't call a muslim African from Nigeria to Kaffir it doesn't make sense steve
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009
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However, in South Africa, and only South Africa, some white people, especially among Afrikaners, use the word Kaffir as a derogatory term referring to persons of aboriginal African descent.
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009
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The negroes looked at him sourly as he took hold of the rope attached to the long swinging beam that acted as a lever to bring the bucket to the surface, and one of them muttered in Arabic, "Kaffir dog!"
The Dash for Khartoum A Tale of Nile Expedition Joseph [Illustrator] Nash 1867
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Phil, for waht it's worth, perhaps you’re able to accept that the word Kaffir (its plural is Kuffar) has a duel meaning.
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009
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Arab is a date-eater and the Kaffir is a milk consumer.
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Arab is a date-eater and the Kaffir is a milk consumer.
The Art of Living in Australia ; together with three hundred Australian cookery recipes and accessory kitchen information by Mrs. H. Wicken Philip E. Muskett
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Needless almost to state that in most of these so-called Kaffir warriors the Boers were utterly disappointed.
In the Shadow of Death P. H. Kritzinger
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This is their characteristic diplomacy -- the fruit of generations of sharpening wits against savages; and the same is called Kaffir cunning, and is not understood at first by European people.
The Transvaal from Within A Private Record of Public Affairs 1896
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Otter was a knob-nosed Kaffir, that is of the Bastard Zulu race.
The People of the Mist Henry Rider Haggard 1890
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Words such as 'Kaffir', 'coolie', 'Boesman', 'hotnot' and many others have negative connotations and remain offensive as they were used to degrade, undermine and strip South Africans of their humanity and dignity.
ANC Today 2008
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