Meanings
plural umlungus · plural abelungu
- South AfricaderogatoryoftenA white person.
The old man snorted and laughed, “Is your teacher an umlungu?”
2013, Samuel Muggington, People of the Stones1 more example
No, the average Bantu always had a dilemma; live with the wild tribes and never know when some witchdoctor's tagati would strike him down; or live with the umlungus and respect his authority (and his sjambok).
1992, Colin Bender, Makapan odyssey, page 166Synonyms: white person
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA white person.
Origin
- Proto-Bantu*mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀
- Zuluuḿlung
- Englishumlungu
Borrowed from Zulu uḿlungu.
More words from Zulu
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
umlungu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umlungu
“umlungu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umlungu. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “umlungu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umlungu.
Source: umlungu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.