Hottentotesen.
/ˌhɒtntɒˈtiːz/, U.S. /ˌhɑtntɑˈtiz/ offensive. Now rare.
The language of the Khoesan, considered as one especially difficult to understand.
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the mind > language > languages of the world > African languages > Khoisan > [noun] > Nama
Hottentot1836
Namaqua1851
Hottentotese1873
Nama1883
1873 F. Hall Mod. Eng. 39 They might as well address Roger in Hottentotese or Kamschadalian.
1910 T. Seltzer tr. H. Sudermann Song of Songs 131 She was ashamed that she was so stupid as not to have extracted a single idea from all he said. His words sounded like Hottentotese.
1954 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 30 June 7/1 Hottentotese is such a difficult language that when a native talks to himself he requires an interpreter.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1873