Afrikaans

American  

[af-ri-kahns, -kahnz] / ˌæf rɪˈkɑns, -ˈkɑnz /

noun

1. Also called the Taal.  an official language of South Africa, developed out of the speech of 17th-century settlers from Holland and still very like Dutch.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Afrikaans or Afrikaners.

Afrikaans British  

/ ˌæfrɪˈkɑːns, -ˈkɑːnz /

noun

1. Sometimes called: South African Dutch.  one of the official languages of the Republic of South Africa, closely related to Dutch

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Etymology

Origin of Afrikaans

1895–1900; < Dutch, equivalent to Afrikaan native of Africa + -s -ish ¹

Example Sentences

As they grew up, they dropped N|uu altogether, speaking only Afrikaans.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

When he was 5 years old, tens of thousands of Black South African children protested the government’s policy to impose Afrikaans, the Dutch-based language of the apartheid state, in schools.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2025

Afrikaans evolved among white settlers and comes from the Dutch word for African.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2024

The National Party formalized racial segregation policies in a system known as apartheid, an Afrikaans word that means “apartness” or “separateness.”

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024

The word baas means “move” in Afrikaans, but it is customarily reserved for cattle.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela