affer
Translingual
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
edit2024. Coined as an alternative spelling for botanical scientific names originally using caffer, which were deemed offensive.[1]
Adjective
editaffer m (feminine affra, neuter affrum)
- kaffir, African (Used as a specific epithet in botany).
References
edit- ^ Clarissa Brincat (2024 August 1) “As Botanists Drop a Racist Plant Name, Some Fear Scientific Confusion”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
- In July, plant scientists at the International Botanical Congress in Madrid changed a scientific name shared by about 200 different plant species. In altering “caffra” to “affra,” the scientists claimed they were voting to fix a misspelling. But almost everyone who cast a ballot knew that “caffra” wasn’t a spelling error. / For centuries, the word “caffra” was used in the scientific names of many plants to denote that they grew in Africa. But the term is also a Latinized version of “Kaffir,” a word that, in southern Africa, is now considered an extremely offensive racial slur against Black Africans. Botanists in the region have objected to using the term to refer to African plants. In South Africa, use of the word can result in a fine or even a prison sentence.
Latin
editVerb
editaffer
Luxembourgish
editVerb
editaffer
Welsh
editAlternative forms
edit- (imperative): caer
Pronunciation
editVerb
editaffer
- (literary) impersonal present subjunctive of cael
- (literary) impersonal imperative of cael
Mutation
editWelsh mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
radical | soft | nasal | h-prothesis |
affer | unchanged | unchanged | haffer |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |