Boer

[bawr, bohr, boo r; Dutch boor]

See more synonyms for Boer on Thesaurus.com

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for boer

Contemporary Examples

“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
“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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

Nice lil thing, too; some of the Boer girls, you know; but not much ballast at her at all.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
He had served through the Boer and the Spanish-American wars with distinction.
The Pirate of Panama
William MacLeod Raine
This does not happen to the Boer, who always wears a broad-brimmed hat.
Impressions of South Africa
James Bryce
It was the same as regards the great plateau and the Boer emigrants who dwelt there.
Impressions of South Africa
James Bryce
But the most delightful of all Boer customs was the custom of flogging by pipes.
History of the Moravian Church
J. E. Hutton

British Dictionary definitions for boer

Boer

noun, adjective

1. 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
2. (as modifier)a Boer farm

Word Origin

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

n.

"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.

Boer

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}Boer

Examples from the Web for boer

Contemporary Examples

“The events are spread inside and outside the city,” says Boer.

“Speaking in general, it seems the atmosphere in the city today is completely different from the crowning in 1980,” says Boer.

These are military and political debacles to rival the Boer War.

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

Milner was the chief British civil administrator in South Africa through the (bitterly controversial at home) Boer War.

Historical Examples

Nice lil thing, too; some of the Boer girls, you know; but not much ballast at her at all.

He had served through the Boer and the Spanish-American wars with distinction.

This does not happen to the Boer, who always wears a broad-brimmed hat.

It was the same as regards the great plateau and the Boer emigrants who dwelt there.

But the most delightful of all Boer customs was the custom of flogging by pipes.

Boer

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for boer

Boer

n.

Origin of Boer