Kaffir
/ˈkæf.ər/noun
A highly offensive ethnic slur historically used in southern Africa, especially against Black Africans.
Did you know?Its history is tied to Arabic kāfir, meaning “unbeliever,” but in southern Africa it became a racist slur through colonial and apartheid-era usage.
Etymological Timeline
Arabic (early Islamic period)
Arabic
kāfir
“an unbeliever; one who conceals or rejects faith”
16th–17th Century
Portuguese/English
cafre / kaffir
“a term applied by Europeans in southern Africa to local peoples, later becoming a racial slur”
18th–19th Century
English
kaffir
“an offensive colonial term for Black Africans in southern Africa”
Modern English
English
kaffir
“a now taboo racial slur, generally avoided except in historical or academic discussion”
Explore more surprising origins