umlungu

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Zulu umlungu.

Noun

umlungu (plural umlungus or abelungu)

1. (South Africa, often derogatory) A white person.
   • 1992, Colin Bender, Makapan odyssey, page 166:

     No, the average Bantu always had a dilemma; live with the wild tribes and never know when some witchdoctor's tagati would strike him down; or live with the umlungus and respect his authority (and his sjambok).

   • 2013, Samuel Muggington, People of the Stones:

     The old man snorted and laughed, “Is your teacher an umlungu?”

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:white person

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

Noun

úḿlungu class 1 (plural bélungu class 2)

1. white person

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

According to the Greater Dictionary of IsiXhosa, the term also referred to a “member of the abeLungu clan descended from whites shipwrecked on the Pondoland coast circa 1700 and absorbed by the Pondos ... ” Many White South Africans believe that it means "scum of the sea".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [úḿ̩luːᵑɡṳ]

Noun

úḿlungu class 1 (plural ábélungu class 2)

1. white person

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dʊ̀ngʊ̀, a variant of Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀jʊ́ngʊ̀.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uḿ̩luːnɡu/

Noun

uḿlungu class 1 (plural abélungu class 2)

1. white person
2. (South Africa, slang) a fellow black person, especially one who is richer or more famous

Inflection

Class 1/2 (locative kumlungu)

	singular		plural
full form	umlungu		abelungu
simple form	mlungu		belungu
locative	kumlungu		kubelungu
copulative	ngumlungu		ngabelungu
Possessive forms
	singular		plural
	modifier	substantive	modifier	substantive
class 1	womlungu	owomlungu	wabelungu	owabelungu
class 2	bomlungu	abomlungu	babelungu	ababelungu
class 3	womlungu	owomlungu	wabelungu	owabelungu
class 4	yomlungu	eyomlungu	yabelungu	eyabelungu
class 5	lomlungu	elomlungu	labelungu	elabelungu
class 6	omlungu	awomlungu	abelungu	awabelungu
class 7	somlungu	esomlungu	sabelungu	esabelungu
class 8	zomlungu	ezomlungu	zabelungu	ezabelungu
class 9	yomlungu	eyomlungu	yabelungu	eyabelungu
class 10	zomlungu	ezomlungu	zabelungu	ezabelungu
class 11	lomlungu	olomlungu	lwabelungu	olwabelungu
class 14	bomlungu	obomlungu	babelungu	obabelungu
class 15	komlungu	okomlungu	kwabelungu	okwabelungu
class 17	komlungu	okomlungu	kwabelungu	okwabelungu

Derived terms

• isilungu
• ubulungu

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “-lungu”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-lungu (3.2.9.9)”