Boer

[ bawr, bohr, boo r; Dutch boor ]

/ bɔr, boʊr, bʊər; Dutch bur /

noun

a South African of Dutch extraction.

adjective

of or relating to the Boers.

Origin of Boer

1825–35; < Afrikaans < Dutch: peasant, farmer. See boor

Can be confusedboar Boer boor bore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boer

“The events are spread inside and outside the city,” says Boer.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Speaking in general, it seems the atmosphere in the city today is completely different from the crowning in 1980,” says Boer.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These are military and political debacles to rival the Boer War.
The Petraeus Revolution: How He Changed the American Way of War|John Barry|January 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
During the Boer War, Canadians flocked to the colours to defend the British Empire.
Canada Comes to the Rescue of Great Britain, Again|Andrew Roberts|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Milner was the chief British civil administrator in South Africa through the (bitterly controversial at home) Boer War.
Milner's Timeless Political Question: "Why Won't They Listen to Me?"|David Frum|September 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Boer had taken a risk over this venture, and now he had to pay the stakes.
The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle
There was an idea, too, that if enough rope were given to the Boer he would hang himself.
A Century of Wrong|F. W. Reitz
On a Boer farm no one rests—all have their work, even to the women and children.
Adventures in Swaziland|Owen Rowe O'Neil
It was the Boer position, and as they had been firing frequently, warning to proceed cautiously was not altogether disobeyed.
The Siege of Mafeking (1900)|J. Angus Hamilton.
At different points upon the eastern and western heights the Boer guns had been stationed.
The Siege of Mafeking (1900)|J. Angus Hamilton.

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

Word Origin for Boer

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

Word Origin and History for boer

Boer

"Dutch colonist in South Africa," 1824, from Dutch boer "farmer," from Middle Dutch, cognate with Old English gebur "dweller, farmer, peasant," and thus related to bower, German Bauer, and the final syllable of neighbor (see boor). Boer War (1899-1902) was technically the Second Boer War, there having been a brief preview 1880-1881.