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Added 7 October 2026

kaffir

/ˈkæfə/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about kaffir at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

In Islamic contexts, a non-Muslim. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
A member of the Nguni people of southern Africa, especially a Xhosa.
A black person.

Origin

Ultimately from Arabic كَفَّار (kaffār, “infidel”) or كَافِر (kāfir, “unbeliever”), both from كَفَرَ (kafara, “to cover, to hide”); in some (especially early) uses, via Spanish cafre, Dutch kaffer or other European languages. Doublet of kafir.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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