Balebos

/ˈbɑːləˌboʊs/ noun

Definition

A historical landowner or master of an estate in South African Dutch or Cape Dutch contexts.

Etymology

From Dutch 'baal' (master, ball) combined with 'baas' (boss), common in South African colonial vocabulary for an estate owner or plantation master.

Kelly Says

'Balebos' appears in South African colonial histories as a term of social hierarchy—it reveals how Dutch settlers created their own vocabulary to describe their new social structures in the Cape Colony!

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