English

Noun

Hottentot ‎(plural Hottentots)

1. (archaic, now offensive) A member of the Khoekhoe group of peoples.
   • 1798-1801, Lady Ann Barnard, Letters and Journals

     I was told that the Hottentots were uncommonly ugly and disgusting, but I do not think them so bad. Their features are small and their cheekbones immense, but they have a kind expression and countenance.

2. Any of several fish of the genus Pachymetopon, in the family Sparidae.

Translations

Derived terms

• Hottentot apron
• Hottentot's bread
• Hottentot cabbage, Hottentot's cabbage (Trachandra)
• Hottentot cherry
• Hottentot fig, Hottentot's fig (Carpobrotus edulis, formerly Mesembryanthemum edulus)
• Hottentot god, Hottentot's god
• Hottentot's Holland Range

Proper noun

Hottentot

1. The language of the Khoi, remarkable for its clicks.
   • 1913, George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion

     "I have tried her with every sort of sound that a human being can make...Hottentot clicks, things it took me years to get hold of."

Translations

See also

• Khoikhoi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sparidae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Pachymetopon on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

References

• Webster's International Dictionary 1902.
• Jean Bradford: A dictionary of South African English: Oxford 1978.