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Glite Dictionary
🚫 Old name for person 🚫 Old term for Khoikhoi 📜 Related to Khoikhoi
Hottentot

Hottentot

1 9.9
Relating to a people of southern Africa, their language, or culture and now considered offensive
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɑːtənˌtɑːt/
  • Slur
translation icon : del pueblo khoikhoi
  • Just going over my speech and then suddenly the door opened and in came some sort of dancing hottentot woman.
  • Hottentot Venus

Examples

  • In the museum, we learned about the traditional Hottentot dance that has been passed down through generations.

  • We find dissipation wild enough to glut the imaginings of a Hottentot braggadocio.

    Becoming Jane (2007)

  • The documentary explored the cultural practices of the Hottentot people and their spiritual beliefs.

  • She wore a beautiful outfit inspired by Hottentot art, showcasing vibrant colors and intricate patterns.

Compounds

Hottentot bread
  • NSFW
9.9

A thick starchy root that people eat in southern Africa

Hottentot bread vine
  • NSFW
9.9

A climbing plant from South Africa with a large rough root like an elephant's foot

Hottentot fig
  • NSFW
9.9

A low plant with thick, fleshy leaves and sweet edible fruit from South Africa

Surface Forms

Hottentot positive

Etymology

Hottentot began as a Dutch name long ago for the Khoikhoi people and their culture in southern Africa. One popular story says it comes from a Dutch verb like hottentotteren meaning 'to stammer' because Europeans tried to copy the language's click sounds, and that is why the term is now offensive and old-fashioned.