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

Hottentot

1 9.9
An old offensive name for a people of southern Africa or their language
  • noun
  • Slur
translation icon : miembro del pueblo khoikhoi
  • Early European explorers referred to the Khoikhoi people as Hottentot in their writings.

Examples

  • Linguists once used Hottentot to describe the Khoikhoi language, but this is outdated and inappropriate.

  • The term Hottentot is now considered offensive.

  • The term Hottentot is now considered offensive and should not be used.

  • Many people do not know that Hottentots refers to an outdated term.

  • The term Hottentot is considered offensive and is no longer used to describe the Khoikhoi people.

  • During the colonial period, the label Hottentot was used in a derogatory way to refer to indigenous groups in southern Africa.

  • Some older texts may still contain references to the Hottentot language, but it is now deemed inappropriate.

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 singular
Hottentots plural

Etymology

Hottentot was a name used by early European visitors for the Khoikhoi people of southern Africa. A common idea is it comes from a Dutch word like hottentotteren meaning 'to stammer' because they imitated the click sounds, and so the name became insulting and is now not used.