kraal

or craal

[ krahl ]

/ krɑl /

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noun

an enclosure for cattle and other domestic animals in southern Africa.

a village of the native peoples of South Africa, usually surrounded by a stockade or the like and often having a central space for livestock.

such a village as a social unit.

an enclosure where wild animals are exhibited, as in a zoo.

verb (used with object)

to shut up in a krall, as cattle.

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Origin of kraal

1725–35; <Afrikaans <Portuguese curral pen; see corral

Words nearby kraal

Kpelle, kph, K-pop, Kr, Kra, kraal, Krabbe's disease, Kraepelin, Krafft-Ebing, kraft, Kragujevac

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use kraal in a sentence

They had come down from the kraal to enjoy the sport and get some of the meat, of which they are particularly fond.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Yis, all alone, sept de two tousand Caffres ob de kraal; but dey is nobody—only black beasts.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Then after a consultation among themselves, one of the men turned and went into the kraal again.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford
After dinner I walked over to a Kaffir kraal and bought fuel, and two infants' copper bangles.
In the Ranks of the C.I.V.|Erskine Childers

Most of the inhabitants of the kraal had retired within the huts, for there was a chill feeling in the air.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for kraal

kraal

/ (krɑːl) Southern African /

noun

a hut village in southern Africa, esp one surrounded by a stockade

an enclosure for livestock

adjective

denoting or relating to the tribal aspects of the Black African way of life

verb

(tr) to enclose (livestock) in a kraal

Word Origin for kraal

C18: from Afrikaans, from Portuguese curral pen; see corral

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