Meanings
nounkgosi (plural kgosis or dikgosi)
plural kgosis · plural dikgosi
- A tribal chief among the Tswana people of southern Africa.
Then Rasebolai said that, as was customary, he would ask the visiting dikgosi to speak.
2006, Susan Williams, Colour Bar, Penguin, published 2007, page 2951 more example
Botswana National Front President, Otsweletse Moupo said he had no doubt that Motshidisi would serve the Palapye community well as kgosi.
2007, Mmegi, 1 Jun 07
Origin
- Proto-Bantu*nkócì
- Tswanakgosi
- Englishkgosi
Borrowed from Tswana kgosi (“chief, chieftain; king”), from Proto-Bantu *nkócì (“lion”). Doublet of inkosi.
More words from Tswana
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
kgosi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kgosi
MLA
“kgosi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kgosi. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kgosi,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kgosi.
Source: kgosi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.