lobola
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of lobola
from Nguni ukulobola to give the bride price
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.
Better if still on-the-nose in its representation of the subject being examined are the works that riff on lobola, an exchange of cattle that bonds families related by marriage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The bride-price, known as lobola, had already been paid in cattle - a prized asset in Zulu culture.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
Unlike the king's other wives, her lobola, or bride price, of about 300 cattle was paid for by the Zulu nation, following a collection within communities.
From BBC ● May 5, 2021
He must also determine lobola, the bride- price, which is paid by the groom to the bride’s family.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“I mean were they married in the Marriage Court, lobola or what?”
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
