Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Bantu” come from?

Bantu comes from Proto-Bantu bàntʊ̀, a word of unknown meaning that became a linguistic and ethnographic classifier for African language families and peoples.

Bantu (English): A member of any of the African ethnic groups that...

Definitions

  1. A member of any of the African ethnic groups that...

Ancestry of “Bantu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Bantubàntʊ̀plural of *mʊ̀ntʊ̀; people

Words derived from “Bantu”

  • Bantuist
  • Proto-Bantu
  • Bantúch
Every word from Proto-Bantu bàntʊ̀ →