veld

noun

ˈvelt ˈfelt

variants or veldt

: a grassland especially of southern Africa usually with scattered shrubs or trees

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Veld (also spelled veldt) comes from Afrikaans, the language of the Afrikaners, the descendants of the Dutch and Huguenot people who settled in southern Africa in the 17th century. Literally, veld means "field," and is akin to feld, the Old English predecessor of field. English speakers adopted the Africa-specific sense of veld in the 18th century. Veld refers to open country in southern Africa. Different regions of the veld are distinguished by their elevations. There is the Highveld, the Lowveld, and the Middle Veld, each with different geographical characteristics. Another term associated with veld is kopje (or koppie). This word came to English from Afrikaans (and ultimately from a Dutch word meaning "small head" or "cup") and refers to a small hill, particularly one on the African veld.

Examples of veld in a Sentence

lions prowling the African veld

Recent Examples on the Web

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These velds are where the last several Rift epidemics in South Africa began. —Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 1 May 2018 The Rovos line in all its splendor—a vision of green and white carriages that draws the eye across the yellow veld—owes its existence to the foresight of South African Rohan Vos, who, back in 1989, took the business from unlikely dream to realization. —Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2023