petty apartheid
- noun
- /ˈpɛti əˈpɑrˌteɪd/
- South African
:
apartheid menor
- Many South Africans vividly remember the humiliation caused by petty apartheid in train stations and movie theaters.
Examples
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During the 1950s, petty apartheid laws prohibited black people from eating in certain restaurants.
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The hotel enforced petty apartheid by refusing service to black guests.
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Petty apartheid was visible in the segregated entrances for different racial groups at public buildings.
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During the 1980s, petty apartheid was prevalent in many public spaces.
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During the 1970s, many colored people in South Africa faced petty apartheid in public spaces such as buses and parks.
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The policy of petty apartheid restricted black citizens from using certain entrances in hotels and restaurants.
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Petty apartheid manifested in the segregation of seating areas in cinemas, limiting where non-white individuals could sit.
Synonyms
84
6.1
Authorities keep people apart by race or religion, often with different facilities
31
8.9
Laws and social rules that kept Black and white people separate in the Southern United States
10
7.9
A system that keeps groups apart and gives some far worse services, for example in internet access or housing
6
6.5
Keeping people apart because of their race, for example in schools or public places
3
7.9
A barrier that keeps Black people from taking part equally with white people
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'racial segregation in everyday public places' is transparently derived from 'petty' (minor/trivial) modifying 'apartheid' (state-enforced racial separation), i.e. minor or everyday forms of apartheid. This straightforward adjective+noun composition follows productive patterns and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Petty apartheid uses petty to mean 'small' or 'everyday' and apartheid for the old South African system that kept people of different races apart. It points to the everyday signs and rules like separate doors, seats, or counters, so the phrase means 'separating people by race' in everyday public places.