Afrikaner

American  

[af-ri-kah-ner, -kan-er] / ˌæf rɪˈkɑ nər, -ˈkæn ər /

Or Afrikaaner

noun

1. an Afrikaans-speaking native of South Africa of European, especially Dutch, descent.

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Afrikaner British  

/ afriˈkaːnə, ˌæfrɪˈkɑːnə /

noun

1. a White native of the Republic of South Africa whose mother tongue is Afrikaans See also Boer

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Etymology

Origin of Afrikaner

1815–1825; < Afrikaans, earlier Afrikaander, equivalent to Afrikaan African + -er -er ¹, with -d- from Hollander

Example Sentences

A presidential document posted to the official daily journal of the US government stated that those accepted would "primarily" be Afrikaner South Africans and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands".

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

It referenced an open letter from dozens of members of the Afrikaner community rejecting the "narrative that portrays Afrikaners as victims of racist persecution".

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

White Namibians, mainly of Afrikaner and German descent, constitute 2% of the population but, according to Namibia’s statistics authority, own 70% of commercial farmland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

One Afrikaner organization claims that more than 2,300 farmers have been murdered over the last 35 years, which sounds alarming until you realize there were 26,000 reported murders in South Africa last year alone.

From Salon • May 25, 2025

During the preparatory examination, which was to last for months, we listened day after day as African and Afrikaner detectives read out their notes of ANC meetings, or transcripts of speeches.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela