Bantu

[ ban-too ]

noun

, plural Ban·tus, (especially collectively) Ban·tu.

1. a member of any of several peoples forming a linguistically and in some respects culturally interrelated family in central and southern Africa.
2. a grouping of more than 500 languages of central and southern Africa, as Kikuyu, Swahili, Tswana, and Zulu, all related within a subbranch of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Kordofanian family.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Bantu or the Bantu peoples.

Bantu

/ ˈbæntuː; bænˈtuː; ˈbɑːntʊ /

noun

1. a group of languages of Africa, including most of the principal languages spoken from the equator to the Cape of Good Hope, but excluding the Khoisan family: now generally regarded as part of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family
2. taboo.
   -tu-tus a Black speaker of a Bantu language

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or belonging to this group of peoples or to any of their languages

Usage

Use of the term Bantu is only acceptable outside South Africa and when talking about this group of languages and their speakers. To refer to African people or peoples, the terms Black and African are acceptable within South Africa

Other Words From

• non-Bantu noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bantu¹

C19: from Bantu Ba-ntu people

Example Sentences

The New York Times reported in May that it had received a set of emails, faxed from a toll-free number, in choppy Luganda, a Bantu language widely spoken in Uganda.

From Los Angeles Times

The New York Times reported that the thief wrote their message in Luganda, a Bantu language of Uganda.

From Los Angeles Times

He said he was based in Nigeria and his email was written in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda.

From New York Times

It evolved from a mix of Yoruba, Fon and Bantu beliefs brought to what is now Brazil by enslaved West African people during the colonial expansion of the Portuguese empire, scholars said.

From New York Times

Abu said it was important to him to "honour and respect" Bantu culture as seen in Tales of Kenzera, and "also celebrate it, because you don't really necessarily see a lot of it".

From BBC