Xhosa
Americannoun
-
a member of a Nguni people of eastern Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
-
the Bantu language of the Xhosa.
noun
-
a member of a cattle-rearing Negroid people of southern Africa, living chiefly in South Africa
-
the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family: one of the Nguni languages, closely related to Swazi and Zulu and characterized by several clicks in its sound system
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
He translates the song’s lyrics from Zulu and Xhosa, two of South Africa’s 12 national languages, and offers a broader critique on the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
Kendi — the “X” stands for his middle name, Xolani, a Xhosa and Zulu word for peace — pulls no punches in making such connections.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
But Ngxokolo decided to fashion his own outfits from scratch, ones more reflective of Xhosa culture.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
Using atmospheric soundscapes and traditional Xhosa movement, the performance will feature a single dancer, four vocal soloists and a live local choir.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
By 1652, the year the Dutch arrived at Cape Town with their winter-rain crops of Near Eastern origin, the Xhosa had still not spread beyond the Fish River.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Zulu's protagonist is a Zulu by the name of Ali Neuman, a survivor of inter-tribal brutality when Xhosas and Zulus were fighting for dominance as South Africa moved towards democracy.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 30, 2010
Zulus and Xhosas are among the groups were polygamy is practised, but it has largely become a rural phenomenon.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2010
In theory, Matanzima's nation will have a population of nearly 3.3 million Xhosas.
From Time Magazine Archive
Urban life tended to abrade tribal and ethnic distinctions, and instead of being Xhosas, or Sothos, or Zulus, or Shangaans, we were Alexandrians.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Despite the proselytizing of the Mbekela brothers, my father remained aloof from Christianity and instead reserved his own faith for the great spirit of the Xhosas, Qamata, the God of his fathers.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
