Hottentot

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historically used term referring to the Khoikhoi people, indigenous pastoralists of southwestern Africa; the word is now considered outdated and offensive due to its colonial and pejorative connotations; also occasionally applied in older texts to describe related cultural or linguistic aspects
2. An antiquated name once applied to the Khoikhoi ethnic group native to the coastal regions of southern Africa, now regarded as derogatory and inappropriate in modern usage; sometimes found in historical or ethnographic literature highlighting their culture and language
3. A past exonym for the Khoikhoi indigenous inhabitants known for their herding lifestyle in southwestern Africa, recognized currently as a racial slur and considered insensitive, though historically used in descriptive accounts of their societal traits and dialects

Etymology: The name is an exonym: a label outsiders gave the Khoikhoi, not the term they used for themselves. Dutch records first show it in the 1650s, and it reached English in the 17th century. Its origin has been debated for centuries, and no explanation is settled. One popular idea is that it came from a Dutch word meaning "stammerer," applied because of the clicks in Khoikhoi speech. However, there is no evidence that the Dutch word was used that way before it became a name for the people. Another story says the name imitated a chant heard at dances. But 17th-century writers render that chant in different ways, and some of those accounts may rest on hearsay rather than firsthand observation.

Synonyms: Khoikhoi, Khoisan