kwedini

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English

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Etymology

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From Xhosa kwedini, contracted form of nkwenkwendini, vocative form of nkwenkwe (boy).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kwedini (plural kwedinis)

  1. (South Africa) A young boy, especially a Xhosa.
    • 1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 38:
      A year later Jonathan – or Sipho, which Gordon said was his ‘real’ name – was back, no longer a kwedini but a man.

Usage notes

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  • Derogatory when used to refer to a man who has been circumcised.