Matabele

[ mat-uh-bee-lee ]

/ ˌmæt əˈbi li /

noun, plural Mat·a·be·les, (especially collectively) Mat·a·be·le.

Ndebele(def 1).

Origin of Matabele

First recorded in 1815–25

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

Examples from the Web for matabele

He returned to Rhodesia in time to take part in the second Matabele rebellion.
Real Soldiers of Fortune|Richard Harding Davis
“You are my father, Nkose,” replied the Matabele, holding forth his joined hands to receive it.
The Triumph of Hilary Blachland|Bertram Mitford
She was past the round of the walls, and at length stood upon dry ground where the Matabele had made their camp.
Benita, An African Romance|H. Rider Haggard
Eventually the Matabele settled to the north-east in the country which afterwards bore their name.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4|Various

Singling out the wounded buck, the Matabele brave followed it.
The Ruined Cities of Zululand|Hugh Mulleneux Walmsley

British Dictionary definitions for matabele

Matabele

/ (ˌmætəˈbiːlɪ, -ˈbɛlɪ) /

noun

plural -les or -le a member of a formerly warlike people of southern Africa, now living in Zimbabwe: driven out of the Transvaal by the Boers in 1837Now known as: Ndebele

the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

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