apartheid

See also: Apartheid

English

"For use by white persons": a sign in English and Afrikaans from the apartheid period.

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, strictly) IPA^(key): /əˈpɑːtheɪt/, /əˈpɑːthaɪt/
• (US, strictly) enPR: ə-pärtʹhāt, ə-pärtʹhīt, IPA^(key): /əˈpɑɹtheɪt/, /əˈpɑɹthaɪt/

  Audio (US)

  (file)

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Note: the h is very often not pronounced because of the difficulty of following /t/ with /h/, but the sequence is not pronounced as the digraph th (/ð/, /θ/).
• (US, laxly) enPR: ə-pärʹtīd, IPA^(key): /əˈpɑɹ.taɪd/

Noun

apartheid (countable and uncountable, plural apartheids)

1. (South Africa, historical) The policy of racial separation in South Africa from 1948 to 1990.

   Synonym: plural relations

   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, pages 127-128:

     The premise of apartheid was that whites were superior to Africans, Coloureds and Indians, and the function of it was to entrench white supremacy forever.

2. (by extension) Any similar policy of racial separation/segregation and discrimination, particularly when in favor of a minority rule.

   The 1973 Apartheid Convention conferred universal jurisdiction to the state signatories to prosecute those who commit apartheid.

   • 1963, Justice William O. Douglas, concurring, Lombard v. Louisiana (373 U.S. 267):

     When the doors of a business are open to the public, they must be open to all regardless of race if apartheid is not to become engrained in our public […] .

   • 2006 March 3, Leslie Feinberg, “Civil rights leaders were gay-baited, red-baited”, in Workers World‎^[1]:

     Jim Crow miscegenation laws enforced apartheid in marriage.

3. (by extension) A policy or situation of segregation based on some specified attribute.
   • 2008, Peter Hewitt, Kenya Cowboy: A Police Officer's Account of the Mau Mau Emergency, →ISBN, page 64:

     Fifteen minutes drive to the Brown Trout was guaranteed to satisfy my appetite because there, as with other clubs and hotel bars, a form of sex apartheid was practised. The males assembled in the region of the bar and the opposite gender either sat discreetly detached or strayed outside to gossip gaily among themselves.

   • 2009, Moorthy Muthuswamy, Defeating Political Islam: The New Cold War, →ISBN, page 120:

     In these annual reports, the religious apartheid practices in India are not mentioned at all.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:apartheid.

Verb

apartheid (third-person singular simple present apartheids, present participle apartheiding, simple past and past participle apartheided)

1. To impose a policy of segregation of groups of people, especially one based on race.
   • 1986, Stanlake John Thompson Samkange, On Trial for that U.D.I.: A Novel, page 79:

     Yes, apartheiding the apartheiders, is what the rest of the world is doing.

   • 1989, Instauration - Volumes 15-16, page 36:

     Whatever the reason the blacks have for "apartheiding" Boston, whites should be all for it.

   • 2003, Mayur K. Lakhani, A Celebration of General Practice, →ISBN, page 183:

     The most deadly of all ghosts are wandering over Britain and medicine, apartheiding people into superiors and nonentities.

   • 2009, Shirley R. Steinberg, Diversity and Multiculturalism: A Reader, →ISBN, page 151:

     Speaking of the resulting apartheiding of British Columbia, Cole Harris observed, "racism was built into the landscape of settlement."

   • 2011, Timothy J. Stanley, Contesting White Supremacy, →ISBN, page 64:

     By 1922, the apartheiding of British Columbia was cemented into a public and private English-language discourse that took for granted how and where one racialized body was placed in relation to another, and in turn how each related to the state system.

Antonyms

• antiapartheid

Derived terms

• anti-apartheidism
• anti-apartheidist
• apartheid anthem
• apartheid flag
• apartheidism
• apartheidist
• apartheidlike
• eco-apartheid
• grand apartheid
• petty apartheid
• postapartheid

 

Related terms

• Jim Crow law

 

Translations

policy of racial separation in South Africa

• Afrikaans: apartheid (af)
• Arabic: أَپَارْتْهِيد m (ʔapārthīd), فَصْلٌ عُنْصُرِيّ m (faṣlun ʕunṣuriyy)
• Armenian: ապարտհեյդ (apartheyd), ապարտեիդ (hy) (aparteid)
• Brahui: apártíđ
• Bulgarian: апартейд m (apartejd)
• Burmese: အသားအရောင်ခွဲခြားမှု (a.sa:a.raunghkwai:hkra:hmu.)
• Catalan: apartheid m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 種族隔離／种族隔离 (zh) (zhǒngzú gélí)

• Czech: apartheid (cs) m
• Danish: apartheid c
• Esperanto: apartismo
• Finnish: rotuerottelu (fi), apartheid (fi)
• French: apartheid (fr) m
• Galician: apartheid m
• Georgian: აპარტეიდი (aṗarṭeidi), აპართეიდი (aṗarteidi)
• German: Apartheid (de) f
• Greek: απαρτχάιντ (el) n (apartcháint)
• Hebrew: אַפַּרְטְהַיְד \ אפרטהייד (he) m
• Hungarian: apartheid (hu)
• Italian: apartheid (it) m
• Japanese: アパルトヘイド (aparutoheido), アパルトヘイト (aparutoheito)
• Khmer: នយោបាយប្រកាន់វណ្ណៈ (nɔyoobaay prɑkan voanna’)
• Korean: 아파르트헤이트 (apareuteuheiteu)
• Malay: aparteid, pengasingan kaum​
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: apartheid m

  Nynorsk: apartheid m

• Polish: apartheid (pl) m
• Portuguese: apartheid (pt) m
• Russian: апартеи́д (ru) m (apartɛíd)
• Sardinian: apartheid m
• Sicilian: apartheid m
• Somali: midab takoor
• Spanish: apartheid (es) m
• Swedish: apartheid (sv)
• Turkish: apartheid (tr)
• Ukrainian: апартеї́д m (apartejíd)
• Venetian: apartheid m

any policy of racial separation — see also segregation

• Afrikaans: apartheid (af)
• Arabic: فَصْل عُنْصُرِيّ m (faṣl ʕunṣuriyy)
• Brahui: apártíđ
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 種族隔離／种族隔离 (zh) (zhǒngzú gélí)

• Georgian: აპარტეიდი (aṗarṭeidi), სეგრეგაცია (segregacia)
• German: Apartheid (de) f
• Greek: απαρτχάιντ (el) n (apartcháint)
• Italian: apartheid (it) m
• Malay: aparteid​
• Portuguese: apartheid (pt) m
• Russian: апартеи́д (ru) m (apartɛíd)
• Spanish: apartheid (es) m

a policy or situation of separation based on some specified attribute — see also segregation

• Afrikaans: apartheid (af)
• German: Apartheid (de) f
• Greek: απαρτχάιντ (el) n (apartcháint)
• Malay: pengasingan, pemisahan (ms)​

Anagrams

• hit parade

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch apartheid.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [ɐˈpartɦɛit]

Noun

apartheid (uncountable)

1. apartheid

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌaːˈpɑrt.ɦɛi̯t/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: apart‧heid

Etymology 1

From apart (“separate, apart”) +‎ -heid (“-hood”).

Noun

apartheid f (plural apartheden, diminutive apartheidje n)

1. the state of being separate; separateness
2. a characteristic that sets something or someone apart

Descendants

• Afrikaans: apartheid

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid, from Dutch apartheid.

Noun

apartheid f (uncountable)

1. the policy of racial separation used in South Africa from 1948 to 1990; apartheid
2. (by extension) any similar policy of racial separation
   • 2007 December 13, “Prins Claus en de NCO”, in Andere Tijden: VPRO:

     In januari 1972 komt een subsidieaanvraag binnen van het Angola Comité voor een boycotactie van koffie afkomstig uit Angola. Het land is in die tijd een provincie van Portugal, dat hardnekkig weigert de voormalige kolonie op te geven. De actie is tegen kolonialisme, rassendiscriminatie en apartheid.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• apartheidsbeleid
• apartheidspolitiek

Anagrams

• hitparade

Finnish

Etymology

From Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑpɑrthɑi̯d/, [ˈɑ̝pɑ̝rt̪hɑ̝i̯d]

Noun

apartheid

1. apartheid

Declension

Inflection of apartheid (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		apartheid	apartheidit
genitive		apartheidin	apartheidien
partitive		apartheidia	apartheideja
illative		apartheidiin	apartheideihin
		singular	plural
nominative		apartheid	apartheidit
accusative	nom.	apartheid	apartheidit
	gen.	apartheidin
genitive		apartheidin	apartheidien
partitive		apartheidia	apartheideja
inessive		apartheidissa	apartheideissa
elative		apartheidista	apartheideista
illative		apartheidiin	apartheideihin
adessive		apartheidilla	apartheideilla
ablative		apartheidilta	apartheideilta
allative		apartheidille	apartheideille
essive		apartheidina	apartheideina
translative		apartheidiksi	apartheideiksi
abessive		apartheiditta	apartheideitta
instructive		—	apartheidein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of apartheid (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative apartheidini apartheidini accusative nom. apartheidini apartheidini gen. apartheidini genitive apartheidini apartheidieni partitive apartheidiani apartheidejani inessive apartheidissani apartheideissani elative apartheidistani apartheideistani illative apartheidiini apartheideihini adessive apartheidillani apartheideillani ablative apartheidiltani apartheideiltani allative apartheidilleni apartheideilleni essive apartheidinani apartheideinani translative apartheidikseni apartheideikseni abessive apartheidittani apartheideittani instructive — — comitative — apartheideineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative apartheidisi apartheidisi accusative nom. apartheidisi apartheidisi gen. apartheidisi genitive apartheidisi apartheidiesi partitive apartheidiasi apartheidejasi inessive apartheidissasi apartheideissasi elative apartheidistasi apartheideistasi illative apartheidiisi apartheideihisi adessive apartheidillasi apartheideillasi ablative apartheidiltasi apartheideiltasi allative apartheidillesi apartheideillesi essive apartheidinasi apartheideinasi translative apartheidiksesi apartheideiksesi abessive apartheidittasi apartheideittasi instructive — — comitative — apartheideinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative apartheidimme apartheidimme accusative nom. apartheidimme apartheidimme gen. apartheidimme genitive apartheidimme apartheidiemme partitive apartheidiamme apartheidejamme inessive apartheidissamme apartheideissamme elative apartheidistamme apartheideistamme illative apartheidiimme apartheideihimme adessive apartheidillamme apartheideillamme ablative apartheidiltamme apartheideiltamme allative apartheidillemme apartheideillemme essive apartheidinamme apartheideinamme translative apartheidiksemme apartheideiksemme abessive apartheidittamme apartheideittamme instructive — — comitative — apartheideinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative apartheidinne apartheidinne accusative nom. apartheidinne apartheidinne gen. apartheidinne genitive apartheidinne apartheidienne partitive apartheidianne apartheidejanne inessive apartheidissanne apartheideissanne elative apartheidistanne apartheideistanne illative apartheidiinne apartheideihinne adessive apartheidillanne apartheideillanne ablative apartheidiltanne apartheideiltanne allative apartheidillenne apartheideillenne essive apartheidinanne apartheideinanne translative apartheidiksenne apartheideiksenne abessive apartheidittanne apartheideittanne instructive — — comitative — apartheideinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative apartheidinsa apartheidinsa accusative nom. apartheidinsa apartheidinsa gen. apartheidinsa genitive apartheidinsa apartheidiensa partitive apartheidiaan apartheidiansa apartheidejaan apartheidejansa inessive apartheidissaan apartheidissansa apartheideissaan apartheideissansa elative apartheidistaan apartheidistansa apartheideistaan apartheideistansa illative apartheidiinsa apartheideihinsa adessive apartheidillaan apartheidillansa apartheideillaan apartheideillansa ablative apartheidiltaan apartheidiltansa apartheideiltaan apartheideiltansa allative apartheidilleen apartheidillensa apartheideilleen apartheideillensa essive apartheidinaan apartheidinansa apartheideinaan apartheideinansa translative apartheidikseen apartheidiksensa apartheideikseen apartheideiksensa abessive apartheidittaan apartheidittansa apartheideittaan apartheideittansa instructive — — comitative — apartheideineen apartheideinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• apartheidpolitiikka

 

Further reading

• “apartheid”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

From Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) +‎ -heid (cognate of English -hood).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.paʁ.tɛd/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧par‧theid

Noun

apartheid m (plural apartheid)

1. (history) apartheid (racial separation in South Africa from 1948 to 1990)
2. apartheid (any policy of racial separation)

Synonyms

• ségrégation
• ségrégationnisme
• séparation

Anagrams

• hit-parade

Indonesian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid (“South Africa policy of racial separation”, literally “separateness, apartness”), from Dutch apartheid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aparˈteɪt̚]
• Hyphenation: apar‧théid

Noun

aparthéid (first-person possessive apartheidku, second-person possessive apartheidmu, third-person possessive apartheidnya)

1. (historical) apartheid: the policy of racial separation used by South Africa from 1948 to 1990.

Alternative forms

• aparteid

Further reading

• “apartheid” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.parˈtajd/, (careful style) /a.parˈtɛjd/, (careful style) /a.parˈtejd/
• Rhymes: -ajd, (careful style) -ɛjd, (careful style) -ejd

Noun

apartheid m (invariable)

1. (history) apartheid (racial separation in South Africa from 1948 to 1990)
2. apartheid (any policy of racial separation)

Further reading

• apartheid in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Afrikaans apartheid.

Noun

apartheid m (definite singular apartheiden, uncountable)

1. apartheid

References

• “apartheid” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “apartheid” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Afrikaans apartheid.

Noun

apartheid m (definite singular apartheiden, uncountable)

1. apartheid

References

• “apartheid” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈpart.xajt/, /aˈpart.xɛjt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -artxajt, -artxɛjt
• Syllabification: a‧part‧heid

Noun

apartheid m inan

1. (historical) apartheid (policy of racial separation in South Africa from 1948 to 1990)

Declension

Declension of apartheid

	singular
nominative	apartheid
genitive	apartheidu
dative	apartheidowi
accusative	apartheid
instrumental	apartheidem
locative	apartheidzie
vocative	apartheidzie

Further reading

• apartheid in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• apartheid in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• apartheid in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid, from Dutch apartheid.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.paʁˈtaj.d͡ʒi/ [a.pahˈtaɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtej.d͡ʒi/ [a.pahˈteɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtejd͡ʒ/ [a.pahˈteɪ̯d͡ʒ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.paʁˈtaj.d͡ʒi/ [a.pahˈtaɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtej.d͡ʒi/ [a.pahˈteɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtejd͡ʒ/ [a.pahˈteɪ̯d͡ʒ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /a.paɾˈtaj.d͡ʒi/ [a.paɾˈtaɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paɾˈtej.d͡ʒi/ [a.paɾˈteɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paɾˈtejd͡ʒ/ [a.paɾˈteɪ̯d͡ʒ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /a.paʁˈtaj.d͡ʒi/ [a.paχˈtaɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtej.d͡ʒi/ [a.paχˈteɪ̯.d͡ʒi], /a.paʁˈtejd͡ʒ/ [a.paχˈteɪ̯d͡ʒ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.paɻˈtaj.de/ [a.paɻˈtaɪ̯.de], /a.paɻˈtejd͡ʒ/ [a.paɻˈteɪ̯d͡ʒ], /a.paɻˈtej.d͡ʒi/ [a.paɻˈteɪ̯.d͡ʒi]

• Hyphenation: apar‧theid

Noun

apartheid m (plural apartheids)

1. (historical) apartheid (policy of racial separation in South Africa)
2. apartheid (any policy of racial separation)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid.

Noun

apartheid n (uncountable)

1. apartheid

Declension

declension of apartheid (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) apartheid	apartheidul
genitive/dative	(unui) apartheid	apartheidului
vocative	apartheidule

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈapartɦeit]

Noun

apartheid m inan (genitive singular apartheidu, nominative plural apartheidy, genitive plural apartheidov, declension pattern of dub)

1. apartheid

Declension

Declension of apartheid

	singular	plural
nominative	apartheid	apartheidy
genitive	apartheidu	apartheidov
dative	apartheidu	apartheidom
accusative	apartheid	apartheidy
locative	apartheide	apartheidoch
instrumental	apartheidom	apartheidmi

References

• “apartheid”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /apaɾˈxeid/ [a.paɾˈxei̯ð̞]
• Rhymes: -eid

Noun

apartheid m (plural apartheids or apartheid)

1. (history) apartheid (racial separation in South Africa from 1948 to 1990)
2. apartheid (any policy of racial separation)

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “apartheid”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
• “apartheid” in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, segunda edición, Real Academia Española, 2023. →ISBN

Swedish

Noun

apartheid c

1. (South africa, historical) apartheid
2. (by extension) apartheid (more generally)

Declension

Declension of apartheid
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	apartheid	apartheiden	—	—
Genitive	apartheids	apartheidens	—	—

References

• apartheid in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• apartheid in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)