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Matabele

American  
[mat-uh-bee-lee] / ˌmæt əˈbi li /

noun

Matabeles plural
  1. Ndebele.


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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Matabele

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He also wants to identify and analyse the antibiotics used by Matabele ants in cooperation with chemistry research groups.

From Science Daily • Jan. 2, 2024

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 • Oct. 8, 2020

Matabele ants, native to sub-Saharan Africa, lay siege to the termite colonies they eat by the hundreds, braving the potentially life-threatening bites of large soldier termites that defend them.

From National Geographic • Feb. 13, 2018

Then, in the 1940s, the trade unions formed in Bulawayo were led by shop stewards who also captained the Zimbabwean teams Matabele Highlanders and Red Army.

From The Guardian • May 28, 2015

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

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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