impi

[ im-pee ]

noun,plural im·pies, im·pis.
  1. (in South African history) a unit of Zulu warriors; regiment.

Origin of impi

1
1875–80; <Zulu: impi, armed force, battle

Words Nearby impi

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

How to use impi in a sentence

  • As Vidler had said, it seemed a regular impi, for there certainly could not have been much less than a hundred.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • A black impi—a naked impi—no dirty tattered shirts or ragged store clothes among these.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • The impi had returned from its pursuit of the rescue party, and was searching for its dead and wounded.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • We are not at war with the Zulu people that an impi should ‘eat up’ our camp and kill our servants.

    The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley | Bertram Mitford
  • The two young men were surrounded—stood now in the very centre of the impi.

    The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley | Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for impi

impi

/ (ˈɪmpɪ) /


nounplural -pi or -pies
  1. a group of Bantu warriors

Origin of impi

1
C19: Nguni: regiment, army

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