Kaffir

[ kaf-er, kah-fer ]

/ ˈkæf ər, ˈkɑ fər /

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noun, plural Kaf·firs, (especially collectively) Kaf·fir.

Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. (in South Africa) a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person: originally used of the Xhosa people only.

kaf·fir . kafir (def. 4).

kaf·fir .Islam. kafir (def. 2).

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Kaffir

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic kāfir “unbeliever, skeptic”

usage note for Kaffir

In reference to a Black person, Kaffir was a neutral term during the colonial period, but in post-apartheid South Africa it is considered hate speech, to be avoided by using the euphemistic K-word, much like the N-word.

OTHER WORDS FROM Kaffir

non-Kaf·fir, noun

Words nearby Kaffir

Kael, Kaesong, kaf, kaffee klatsch, kaffeeklatscher, Kaffir, kaffir beer, kaffirboom, kaffir corn, Kaffir lily, kaffir lime

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Kaffir in a sentence

In another Kaffir story, the Jackal runs into a hole under a tree, but the Lion catches him by the tail.
Nights With Uncle Remus|Joel Chandler Harris
But to return to the Kaffir story: When the cannibal is carrying Demazana away, she drops ashes along the path.
Nights With Uncle Remus|Joel Chandler Harris
But I know my kaffir, and I sized up this black Englishman instantly.
My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War|Ben Viljoen.
The grass had been set on fire by a kaffir to the windward of the camp.
My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War|Ben Viljoen.

After dinner I walked over to a Kaffir kraal and bought fuel, and two infants' copper bangles.
In the Ranks of the C.I.V.|Erskine Childers

British Dictionary definitions for Kaffir

Kaffir

Kafir

/ (ˈkæfə) /

noun plural -firs or -fir

taboo (in southern Africa) any Black African

offensive (among Muslims) a non-Muslim or infidel

Word Origin for Kaffir

C19: from Arabic kāfir infidel, from kafara to deny, refuse to believe

usage for Kaffir

In South Africa the use of this word is nowadays completely taboo, and is indeed actionable in the courts. It is also advisable not to use the word in any of the compounds to which it gave rise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012