apartheid
/əˈpɑːtheɪt/ noun, verb
Forms apartheids apartheiding apartheided
- noun (South Africa, historical) The policy of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
- noun (by extension) Any similar policy of racial segregation or separation and discrimination, particularly when in favor of a minority rule. “The 1973 Apartheid Convention conferred universal jurisdiction to the state signatories to prosecute those who commit apartheid.”
- noun (by extension) A policy or situation of segregation based on some specified attribute.
- verb (transitive) To impose a policy of segregation of groups of people, especially one based on race.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “apartheid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details