apartheid
[ uh-pahrt-hahyt, -heyt, uh-pahr-tahyt, -teyt ]
/ əˈpɑrt haɪt, -heɪt, əˈpɑr taɪt, -teɪt /
noun
(in the Republic of South Africa) a rigid former policy of segregating and economically and politically oppressing the nonwhite population.
any system or practice that separates people according to color, ethnicity, caste, etc.
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Which Words Did English Take From Other Languages?English—is one of the most incredible, flavorfully-complex melting pots of linguistic ingredients from other countries. These linguistic ingredients are called loanwords that have been borrowed and incorporated into English. The loanwords are oftentimes so common now, the foreign flavor has been completely lost.
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Nearby words
Related formsan·ti·a·part·heid, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for apartheid
British Dictionary definitions for apartheid
apartheid
/ (əˈpɑːthaɪt, -heɪt) /
noun
(in South Africa) the official government policy of racial segregation; officially renounced in 1992
Word Origin for apartheid
C20: Afrikaans, from apart apart + -heid -hood
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for apartheid
apartheid
1947 (policy begun 1948), from Afrikaans apartheid (1929 in a South African socio-political context), literally "separateness," from Dutch apart "separate" (from French àpart; see apart) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood. The official English synonym was separate development (1955).
"Segregation" is such an active word that it suggests someone is trying to segregate someone else. So the word "apartheid" was introduced. Now it has such a stench in the nostrils of the world, they are referring to "autogenous development." [Alan Paton, "New York Times," Oct. 24, 1960]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for apartheid
apartheid
[ (uh-pahr-teyet, uh-pahr-tayt) ]
The racist policy (see racism) of South Africa that long denied blacks and other nonwhites civic, social, and economic equality with whites. It was dismantled during the 1990s. (See Nelson Mandela.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.