Boer

[ bawr, bohr, boor; Dutch boor ]

noun
  1. a South African of Dutch extraction.

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Boers.

Origin of Boer

1
First recorded in 1825–35; Afrikaans, from Dutch: “peasant, farmer”; see boor

Words Nearby Boer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Boer in a sentence

  • During the Boer War, Canadians flocked to the colours to defend the British Empire.

  • On one occasion Moffat halted at a farm belonging to a Boer, a man of wealth and importance, who had many slaves.

    Robert Moffat | David J. Deane
  • With a start, and a look as though the man might have dropped from the clouds, the worthy Boer exclaimed, "Are you Africaner?"

    Robert Moffat | David J. Deane
  • It seems almost incredible, but it is true that all such mishaps were attributed to Boer treachery.

    The Relief of Mafeking | Filson Young
  • This first was the Boer hospital, and even at this early hour the air was pungent with the reek of strong tobacco.

    The Relief of Mafeking | Filson Young
  • Then another shot cracked—from our side this time; the treacherous Boer, I was told, fell dead, and the action was over.

    The Relief of Mafeking | Filson Young

British Dictionary definitions for Boer

Boer

/ (bʊə, ˈbəʊə, bɔː) /


noun, adjective
    • a descendant of any of the Dutch or Huguenot colonists who settled in South Africa, mainly in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal

    • (as modifier): a Boer farm

Origin of Boer

1
C19: from Dutch Boer; see boor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012