Word origins

• ubuntuA Nguni Bantu ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.
• KwaZuluA former bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a homeland for the Zulu people.
• impalaAn African antelope, Aepyceros melampus, noted for its leaping ability; the male has ridged, curved horns.
• gogoAn elasticated hair band.
• mambaAny of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.
• SwaziA person from Swaziland/Eswatini or of Swazi/Swati descent originally migrating from Central Africa.
• mutiTraditional African medicine.
• indabaA tribal conference held by Nguni leaders.
• impiA group of Zulu (or other Bantu) warriors; a detachment of armed men.
• UguA town in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• sangomaA (usually female) traditional healer or herbalist, or witch doctor.
• eThekwiniSynonym of Durban (“South African city”).
• JoziNickname for Johannesburg.
• isiZuluSynonym of Zulu (“Zulu language”)
• pukuA medium-sized antelope found in Central Africa (Kobus vardonii).
• shongololoA millipede.
• haiboan expression of surprise or shock: wow, no way
• amapianoA house music subgenre that emerged in South Africa, often incorporating jazz piano and lounge music.
• amasisour milk
• chisa nyamaA barbecue or braai.
• EgoliNickname for Johannesburg: the largest city in South Africa, in Gauteng province.
• green mambaDendroaspis angusticeps, a venomous snake native to Africa, the common mamba, eastern green mamba.
• imbizoA forum for discussion of policy.
• imbongiA praise singer, a traditional bard in Zulu culture.
• impofueland; a kind of large South African antelope (Taurotragus)
• indlamuA traditional Zulu dance from South Africa in which the dancer lifts one foot over the head and brings it down hard, landing squarely on the downbeat.
• indunaA South African tribal councillor or headman (under the king); someone in authority, a boss.
• inkosiA chief (particularly Zulu).
• insanguAny particular plant which is smoked as a recreational drug, especially (wild) hemp.
• inyangaIn Zulu communities, a traditional doctor or healer
• isibongoA complimentary metonym used to describe members of a Zulu clan.
• isicholoA kind of Zulu headdress or neckpiece.
• isicocoSynonym of headring (“band worn by married Zulu men”).
• itongoAn ancestral spirit.
• kwelaA style of music, first played in the townships, whose principal instrument is the penny whistle.
• ladumagoal! (cheer when a goal is scored in football)
• madumbia yam
• mafufunyanaIn Zulu and Xhosa culture, a mental disorder in which the sufferer is believed to have been possessed by evil spirits, causing hysteria.
• maskandaA style of Zulu folk music, normally played solo.
• mbubeA style of a cappella choral music originating among the Zulus of South Africa.
• MfecaneA period of widespread chaos and warfare among indigenous ethnic communities in southern Africa between 1815 and about 1840.
• moochaA loincloth made from animals' tails or strips of skin; part of the traditional dress of Zulu males.
• naganaA disease of vertebrates in southern Africa, characterised by swelling and lethargy and caused by trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies.
• sakabulaLong-tailed widowbird (Euplectes progne), a bird native to southern Africa.
• ThembuA member of a certain South African tribe that speak Xhosa and live in Thembuland.
• tokolosheIn Zulu mythology, a mischievous dwarf-like spirit man that can become invisible by drinking water or swallowing a stone.
• tshwalaA traditional African beer made from sorghum.
• umfundisiA teacher, priest, or missionary.
• umzimbeetMillettia grandis, a species of flowering legume tree native to South Africa.
• umZuluA Zulu person.
• vuvuzelaA trumpet-shaped horn, now usually plastic, that produces a loud buzzing sound.
• yeboyes
• zama-zamaA person who works illegally in abandoned mineshafts in order to retrieve metals or minerals.