veld

American  

[velt, felt] / vɛlt, fɛlt /

Or veldt

noun

1. the open country, bearing grass, bushes, or shrubs, or thinly forested, characteristic of parts of southern Africa.

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veld British  

/ vɛlt, fɛlt /

noun

1. elevated open grassland in Southern Africa See also bushveld highveld renosterveld Compare pampas prairie steppe

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Etymology

Origin of veld

1795–1805; < Afrikaans < Dutch: field

Explanation

A large area of open grassland found in the southernmost region of Africa is called a veld. Most velds have plenty of low-growing plants for grazing animals, but hardly any trees. This word, which can also be spelled veldt, came to English from the Dutch-influenced language Afrikaans (in both languages, veld means "field"). If you visit a wildlife preserve in South Africa or Zimbabwe, it's likely to be in a veld. In fact, you're likely to encounter other kinds of velds in this region of Africa, as the word is commonly used in its original sense — if you attend a rugby match, it'll be held in a "rugbyveld."

Example Sentences

In this part of the country, winter is a cold, dry season that burns the veld brown.

From BBC • May 25, 2024

"The rest they take off the veld," she said.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2021

Their tale of survival has them hopping into their trucks and driving them like hunters on the veld.

From Washington Post • Oct. 19, 2021

As the sun became a narrow red eye on the horizon, a dust storm descended the cliffs to our left and crossed the road into empty veld.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2019

From these days I date my love of the veld, of open spaces, the simple beauties of nature, the clean line of the horizon.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela