In South African history, a tenant farmer or laborer on someone else's land, especially one with limited rights.
Afrikaans-origin term from 'by' (by/near) and 'woner' (dweller/inhabitant). Historically used in South Africa for a semi-dependent agricultural worker or tenant with restricted freedoms.
The word 'bywoner' captures a whole social class that once existed in South African colonial history—the term itself is disappearing because the social structure it described is gone, showing how languages are time machines for lost societies.
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