Xhosa
Americannoun
plural
Xhosas,plural
Xhosa-
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
- Xhosan adjective
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 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
Ms Nayimuli said that while growing up she would constantly speak Xhosa, her mother tongue and one of South Africa’s official languages, to “prove her South African-ness”.
From BBC • Aug. 2, 2024
In Johannesburg and the Eastern Cape, the vocal tradition of isicathamiya and the steady, Zulu and Xhosa dance rhythms of the regions exerted strong influence.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
The relationship was to me a novelty, and I felt daring in having a friendship with a woman who was not a Xhosa.
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.
