Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Ubuntu” come from?

Ubuntu (English) comes from Xhosa ubuntu, from Proto-Bantu *bʊ̀ntʊ̀.

Ubuntu (English): A South African ideology focusing on people's...

Definitions

  1. A South African ideology focusing on people's...

Ancestry of “Ubuntu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Xhosaubuntuhumaneness, solidarity
2Proto-Bantu*bʊ̀ntʊ̀—
Every word from Proto-Bantu *bʊ̀ntʊ̀ →