Matabele

[ mat-uh-bee-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural Matabeles, (especially collectively) Matabele.

Ndebele ( def 1 ).

Matabele

/ ˌmætəˈbiːlɪ; -ˈbɛlɪ /

noun

-les-le a member of a formerly warlike people of southern Africa, now living in Zimbabwe: driven out of the Transvaal by the Boers in 1837 Now known asNdebele
the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of Matabele¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Are Matabele ants really unique in this respect?

From

Since the Jongwe family was suspicious of white people, they probably wouldn’t welcome a Matabele woman either.

From

In Mozambique, Wilson studied the Matabele ant, a species that favors termites as food.

From

In Zimbabwe, the military campaign against the Matabele was known as “Gukurahundi” — a rain that washes away husks after the corn has been reaped.

From

This category was expanded beyond the dissidents to include thousands of members of the Matabele people from the same ethnic group as Mr Mugabe's opponent at the time, Joshua Nkomo.

From

mata Matabeleland

Browse