Doek

/duːk/ noun

Definition

In South African English, a piece of cloth or headscarf, often used as a head covering or kerchief.

Etymology

From Dutch/Afrikaans 'doek' meaning cloth or fabric. Brought to South Africa by Dutch settlers and retained in South African English vocabulary as a distinctly local term.

Kelly Says

This Dutch word traveled to South Africa and stayed, becoming completely native to South African English while disappearing from daily use in the Netherlands—a perfect example of how colonial languages develop their own permanent vocabularies.

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