biltong

See also: Biltong

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans biltong, from bil (“buttock, hindquarter”) + tong (“tongue, strip”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪl(ˌ)tɒŋ/

Noun

biltong (countable and uncountable, plural biltongs)

1. (South Africa, Zimbabwe) A South African food categorized by strips of lean meat cured by salting and drying, similar to American jerky.
   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     The rest of the buck's flesh we cut into strips and hung in the sun to dry into 'biltong,' as, I believe, the South African Dutch call flesh thus prepared.

   • 1981, “The Star: Gastro-diplomacy”, in South African Digest: Fortnightly Digest of South African Affairs, Pretoria: Department of Information, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20, column 3:

     "P W who …?" Mr William Clark is reputed to have said when he was being quizzed for the job of American Assistant Secretary of State. Well, whatever political reminders he might now have, he will never forget our prime minister [P. W. Botha] after being given so memorable a dish as biltong souffle for breakfast yesterday, backed up by straight biltong and maroela jelly.

   • 2026 June 6, Joanne Gould, “Pass the chakalaka! The best World Cup drinks and snacks – inspired by all 48 teams”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Steak, chops, boerewors coiled sausage and chicken are cooked on a braai (an open fire of wood or coals) to go in rolls with salad. Snacks include biltong and chakalaka spicy relish – all available from specialist store the Savanna.

References

• “biltong” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC.

Anagrams

• bolting, long bit

Afrikaans

Etymology

From bil (“hindquarter”) +‎ tong (“tongue, strip”).

Noun

biltong (plural biltonge)

1. biltong

Descendants

• → English: biltong
• → Dutch: biltong
• → German: Biltong

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans biltong. Equivalent to bil +‎ tong.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪl.tɔŋ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bil‧tong

Noun

biltong f (plural biltongen, diminutive biltongetje n)

1. biltong

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans biltong.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbiltoŋ/ [ˈbil.t̪ɔŋ]
• Rhymes: -iltoŋ
• Syllabification: bil‧tong

Noun

biltong (plural biltong-biltong)

1. (cooking) biltong

Further reading

• “biltong”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016