Ndebele
Americannoun
plural
Ndebeles,plural
Ndebele-
Also called Matabele. a member of a Nguni people of the Transvaal and Zimbabwe.
-
the Bantu language of these people.
noun
-
a member of a Negroid people of Zimbabwe See also Matabele
-
the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu grouping of the Niger-Congo family
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.
The ancient Ndebele interacted with the nomadic San, whose descendants still live in some parts of Zimbabwe and in South Africa.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2024
Sthembiso Ndebele lives in one of the shacks with her three children, including her disabled 10-year-old son, who she said is not coping with the conditions.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2024
Two languages — Navajo and Ndebele — once all but forbidden by conquerors, and given full throat.
From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2023
Mahlangu, who always appears in public in traditional Ndebele clothes and jewellery, said that she intended to carry on working and travelling despite her age.
From The Guardian • Nov. 22, 2020
Of the African languages, Zulu has the largest number of native speakers, but we couldn’t keep that without also having Xhosa and Tswana and Ndebele.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
