A Dutch or Afrikaans term for a co-tenant or someone who shares living quarters with others, particularly in South African English.
From Dutch/Afrikaans bij- (with/at) combined with woner (dweller/resident), borrowed into South African English during the colonial and post-colonial periods.
The word 'bijwoner' reflects housing realities in South Africa's history—it specifically named the social category of people who shared crowded dwellings, making visible what statistics hid!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.