Word origins

• balkieA small bar worn as part of the uniform of some soldiers in the South African military.
• bastard gemsbokroan antelope (Hippotragus equinus), native to savannas of the central latitudes of Africa.
• becreepTo creep up on; stalk
• berghaanVerreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii)
• bergieA homeless person in Cape Town.
• bergwindA hot dry wind blowing from the mountainous interior to the coast.
• bijwonerA member of a class of poor white people who were permitted to inhabit shanties on the property of well-to-do Boers in return for semifeudal payments.
• blaasopAny of several species of pufferfish found in South African waters.
• blapsA blunder, a mistake.
• blatjangA spicy South African chutney.
• blesbuckA type of damalisk (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi), an African antelope closely related to the hartebeest.
• blesmolAny sub-Saharan African rodent in the family Bathyergidae.
• bliksembastard, arsehole, sod.
• bloedpensA form of dysentery affecting lambs and other animals.
• blombosMetalasia muricata
• bloubokbluebuck
• blouwildebeesoogAn African disease of cattle (sheep, horses and cows), marked by protrusion of the eye, blindness, and rupture
• bobotieA dish of curried mince with an egg custard baked on top.
• boepbeer belly
• boerboonAny of various flowering plants of the genus Schotia.
• boerekosAfrikaner cuisine
• boereworsA type of sausage, usually flavoured with coriander seed, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
• boetA brother; often prefixed informally to a man’s first name.
• boetiebrother
• bokkomSalted dried fish (normally mullet), a traditional delicacy of the West Coast of South Africa.
• bokmakierieA shrike endemic to Southern Africa, with olive upper parts, a yellow underside, and a deep black gorget.
• bonsellaIn a transaction, something extra on the side.
• bontequaggaSynonym of Burchell's zebra.
• boomdasThe southern tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax arboreus.
• bosberaadA strategic meeting held in a private venue, less commonly outdoors, such as those to try resolve a political deadlock.
• braaivleisBraai meat.
• brakslaaiAny of certain mesembryanthemums.
• bredieA thick stew of meat and vegetables.
• broekieswomen's underwear; panties; knickers
• buckwagonA strong wagon with a frame over the wheels used for hauling goods.
• Bushman's teaKhat.
• cancer bushA legume native to Southern Africa that grows red flowers and bloated pods, often used in folk medicine; Lessertia frutescens (formerly Sutherlandia frutescens).
• crombecAny of several small passerine birds in the genus Sylvietta.
• dagbrekerAny of the chats of South Africa.
• dankieThanks.
• dassieA small, herbivorous mammal in the order Hyracoidea, the rock hyrax.
• dassiepishyraceum: the solidified urine of a dassie, used in folk medicine to treat epilepsy.
• dauwBurchell's zebra (Equus quagga burchellii).
• Die StemThe Call of South Africa
• dikkopA bird of the family Burhinidae.
• disselboomOne of the poles supporting a wagon.
• doekA cloth.
• domkopdummkopf; idiot; dunce
• domsiekteA disease of sheep, mainly pregnant ewes, characterized by emaciation and turning round in circles; pregnancy toxemia, sheep pregnancy ketosis.
• donderTo beat up, to thrash.
• draadsitterA fence sitter.
• droeworsA kind of dried sausage similar to boerewors.
• dronkgrasMelica decumbens
• dronkverdrietDepression caused by drunkenness.
• dubbeltjieTribulus zeyheri, a species of plant known for its sharp thorns.
• dunsiekteRagwort (Senecio) poisoning in horses.
• dwaalA dreamy, dazed, absent-minded, or befuddled state
• earth pigThe aardvark.
• einaOuch! (an exclamation of pain)
• entjieA cigarette.
• frikkadelA traditional Afrikaner dish of baked (or sometimes deep-fried) meatballs prepared with onion, bread, eggs, vinegar, and spices.
• gatvolCompletely fed up; very upset.
• geelbeckSynonym of geelbeck croaker.
• geeldikkoptribulosis
• geelhoutA broad-leaved yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius), or any other tree of genus Podocarpus.
• gesuipdrunk
• gifblaarDichapetalum cymosum, a poisonous plant.
• goggaInsect.
• goorappelAny of various flowering plants in the genus Pygmaeothamnus.
• gousiektebossieAny of various plants in the family Rubiaceae.
• gramadoelaA remote, sparsely populated area of southern Africa.
• greenthornBalanites maughamii, a southern African tree.
• GriquaAny of a subgroup of South Africa's heterogeneous and multiracial black people, originally populating the frontiers of the infant Cape Colony, living as seminomadic commandos of mounted gunmen.
• GrootfonteinA town in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia.
• grootslangA South African cryptid with the head of an elephant and the body of a snake, which reputedly eats elephants and hoards diamonds; one particular one (the Grootslang) is reputed to live in a cave in South Africa connected to the sea.
• grysappelParinari capensis, a fruit tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae.
• grysbokA small antelope of genus Raphicerus from South Africa.
• haak-en-steekThe plant Acacia tortilis.
• haarderPlaniliza haematocheilus, the redlip mullet, a mugilid fish.
• hammerkopA bird from southern Africa, Scopus umbretta, of the family Scopidae and related to the herons.
• handlangerAn unskilled assistant to an artisan.
• herenigingPolitical reunion.
• heuningbosSynonym of honeybush (“Cyclopia”).
• HeystekAn Afrikaans surname.
• honeybush teaA tisane (herbal tea) beverage made from the honeybush plant.
• Hout BayA maritime suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.
• jaagsiektepulmonary adenomatosis of sheep or goats
• Janse van RensburgAn Afrikaans surname.
• ja well no fineVariously expressing ridicule, irony, indifference, surprise, or ambivalence—possibly in combination—depending on tone and context.
• jislaaikgoodness; expressing shock or surprise
• jonkmanskasA cupboard with two drawers on top.
• jukskeiA traditional game similar to quoits played by throwing the skei at the yoke.
• kaalgatstark naked.
• KaapsThe form of the Afrikaans language spoken by Cape Coloured people.
• Kaapse KlopseA minstrel festival held in the Western Cape on the 2nd of January every year, in which Cape Coloured minstrels dress in bright colours, accompanied by instruments.
• kabeljouA type of fish from southern Africa, Argyrosomus coronus.
• KafferskraalA place name for many farms originally worked by black natives.
• KalkfonteinFormer name of Karasburg, Namibia, renamed in 1939 when it was South West Africa.
• kalkoentjieAny of several African pipits of the genus Macronyx.
• KapenaarA native or inhabitant of the city of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.