amapakati
English
Etymology
From Xhosa ama- (plural noun class marker) + -phakathi (“council”); compare pagati. Attested in English from the 19th century.
Noun
amapakati (plural amapakatis)
- The council or inner circle of advisers of a chief in a Nguni society.
- 1962, Nelson Mandela, Struggle is my Life:
- Then our people lived peacefully, under the democratic rule of their kings and their amapakati, and moved freely and confidently up and down the country without let or hindrance.
- A member of a council; a trusted adviser.
- 1870, C. Hamilton, Life and Sport in South-East Africa:
- The shrewdness of the Amapakati, or Kaffir advocate.
See also
References
- “amapakati, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2005.