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Definition of San in English:

San

nounplural noun San

  • 1A member of the indigenous peoples of southern Africa commonly called Bushmen.

    See Bushman

    ‘‘I knew very well,’ he said, ‘That one did not call someone a San to his face.’’
    • ‘Yet the research could also be twisted to bolster deep-seated prejudices against the San, probably the most abused and downtrodden ethnic group in southern Africa.’
    • ‘Cognatic systems are found among Whites, Caprivians and some San, while patrilineal descent is found among Khoekhoegowab- and Tswana-speakers.’

  • 2The group of Khoisan languages spoken by the San.

    • ‘San turned out not to be closely related at all.’
    1. 2.1Any of the San languages.
      • ‘San is spoken in Namibia.’

Pronunciation

San

/sän/ /sɑn/

adjective

  • Relating to the San or their languages.

    ‘The human rights organisation claimed that the men spoke Secherechere, a San dialect, and at the time of their trial understood neither Setswana (the language of Botswana) nor any language other than their own.’
    • ‘Organized as a series of conversations conducted by young San interviewers that went out into their communities to collect the thoughts and feelings of their elders and peers, this compilation captures the spirit of modern San communities and helps create an understanding of their rich history.’

Pronunciation

San

/sän/ /sɑn/

Origin

From Nama sān ‘aboriginals, settlers’.