Bantu
Bantu
Definition
Bantu (ban′to̵̅o̅′; also, ban to̵̅o̅′)
noun
- a group of more than 200 languages belonging to the Niger-Congo language subfamily, including Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu
- pl. -·tus or -·tu a member of any of the Bantu-speaking peoples living throughout the S half of the African continent
Etymology: Bantu ba-ntu, the men < ba, var. of aba, pl. prefix + -ntu, man: coined (1850s) by W. H. I. Bleek, librarian of the Brit gov. of the Cape Colony
adjective
of the Bantus or their languages or cultures
