Matabele

American  

[mat-uh-bee-lee] / ˌmæt əˈbi li /

noun

plural

Matabeles,

plural

Matabele

1. Ndebele.

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Matabele British  

/ ˌmætəˈbiːlɪ, -ˈbɛlɪ /

noun

1. Now known as: Ndebele.  a member of a formerly warlike people of southern Africa, now living in Zimbabwe: driven out of the Transvaal by the Boers in 1837

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

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Etymology

Origin of Matabele

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

However, Matabele ants have developed a sophisticated healthcare system: they can distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds and treat the latter efficiently with antibiotics they produce themselves.

From Science Daily

It learned how the Matabele ants carried their young at the center of a line while the soldiers ran along the outside.

From Literature

Despite this level of Matabele aggression, Wilson anoints a garden ant of the Amazonian rainforest, Camponotus femoratus, with the “most ferocious” status.

From Washington Post

This category was expanded beyond the dissidents to include thousands of members of the Matabele people from the same ethnic group as Mr Mugabe's opponent at the time, Joshua Nkomo.

From BBC

Scientists studying the behavior of African Matabele ants in Ivory Coast have found that the insects act like paramedics in a crisis, triaging and treating the wounds of their injured peers.

From Seattle Times