Where does “kaffer” come from?
kaffer (Afrikaans) comes from Afrikaans kraal, from Dutch kraal, from Middle Dutch crael, from Middle Dutch corael, from Old French coral, from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον, from Ancient Greek ἅλς — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
kaffer (Afrikaans): A non-believer or an infidel; A black person,...
Definitions
- A non-believer or an infidel; A black person,...
Ancestry of “kaffer”, step by step
kaffer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Afrikaans kraal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | kraal | A kraal, corral: enclosure for livestock |
| 2 | Dutch | kraal | A bead; Several similarly spheric objects;... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | crael | — |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | corael | — |
| 5 | Old French | coral | — |
| 6 | Latin | corallium | coral |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | κοράλλιον | coral |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἅλς | salt; brine; sea |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ῐος | belonging to; of”, “belonging to”, “pertaining to |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |