veld

See also: Veld and véld

English

WOTD – 24 September 2022

Etymology

A veld landscape in the Free State, South Africa.

Borrowed from Afrikaans veld, or from its etymon Dutch veld (“field; open country”) (formerly spelled veldt),[1][2] ultimately from Proto-Germanic *felþą (“field, plain”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Doublet of field.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /vɛlt/, /fɛlt/, /vɛld/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /vɛlt/
Rhymes: -ɛlt, -ɛld

Noun

veld (plural velds)

(chiefly South Africa) The open grassland or pastureland of South Africa and neighbouring countries.
- [1785, Andrew Sparrman, “Journey from Boshies-mans-river to Quamme-dacka”, in A Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, towards the Antarctic Polar Circle, and Round the World: […], volume II, London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson, […], OCLC 221375418, page 84:
  In the Bokke-velds, as they are called, theſe animals [springbok] are found in great numbers, and ſometimes at Roode-Zand.]
- 1789 August, “Art. I. A Narrative of Four Journies into the Country of the Hottentots, and Caffraria, in the Years 1777, 1778, and 1779. Illustrated with a Map, and 17 Copper Plates. By Lieutenant William Paterson. […] Johnson. 1789. [book review]”, in [Thomas Christie], editor, The Analytical Review, or History of Literature, Domestic and Foreign. […], volume IV, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], OCLC 1013225002, page 387:
  Advance tovvards the Cond Bokke Veld, or cold country of Antelopes: mountains covered with ſnovv.
- 1879, Charles H. Eden, “A Despot in Council”, in Ula, in Veldt and Laager: A Tale of the Zulus (Asher’s Continental Library; 6), copyright edition, Hamburg: Karl Grädener, OCLC 601686390, page 47:
  People who have not been brought into contact with snakes may deny that they possess the power of fascinating a human being, but in the wild veldt strong, able-bodied men have been subjected to their spell, and can tell a different tale.
- 1879, K. J., “CAPE COLONY”, in The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, volume V, 9th edition, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, OCLC 181809840, page 42, column 1:
  The pastoral lands or "velds," which extend chiefly around the outer slopes and in the east, are distinguished according to the nature of the grass or sedge which they produce as "sweet" or "sour."
- 1885, attributed to Jules Verne, “One for the Frenchman”, in [anonymous], transl., The Vanished Diamond: A Tale of South Africa, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, […], OCLC 13819580, page 4:
  Around, as far as the eye can see, there stretches the bare and dreary-looking plain. The Veld, as this plain is called, has a reddish soil, dry, barren, and dusty, with here and there at considerable intervals a straggling bush or a clump of thorn-shrubs.
- 1894 February 6, Henry Thomas Greef, plaintiff; J. D. Sheil, reporter, “Greef v. Van der Westhuysen”, in Reports of All Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of the Cape of Good Hope, During the Months of January, February and March, 1894. […], volume IV, part I, Cape Town: […] “Cape Times” office, […], OCLC 732881144, page 28, column 2:
  I have a piece of veld on Doornfontein. It is a reserved veld. A small river runs here. It is the best grazing on my farm, being very sweet. I reserve it for my cattle.
- 1902 January 3, H[erbert] Watkins-Pitchford, “The Queensland Redwater Immune Cattle”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume IV, number 22, Maritzburg: The Times Printing and Publishing Company, OCLC 18228020, page 678, column 2:
  Viewed from a practical point of view there seems no reason to think that these animals will fail to withstand the conditions of the Natal veld.
- 1902 March 4, Joseph Chamberlain, “South African War.—Concentration Camps.”, in The Parliamentary Debates (Authorised Edition), Fourth Series, Third Session of the Twenty-seventh Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland […] (House of Commons), volume CIV, London: Wyman and Sons, […] [for] His Majesty’s Stationery Office, OCLC 685125226, column 435:
  [W]e found vast numbers of Boer women and children would be left unprotected on the veldt.
- 1912, F[rancis] Bancroft, chapter III, in The Veldt Dwellers, 3rd edition, London: Hutchinson & Co. […], OCLC 556565245, book IV, page 296:
  And Thane nodded and staggered blindly upward, only to sag again in a heap upon the veldt.
- 1979, André Brink, chapter 1, in A Dry White Season, 1st U.S. edition, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, published 1980, →ISBN, part 2, page 79:
  Pale yellow and greyish brown, the bare veld of late summer lay flat and listless under the drab sky.
- 1994, Nelson Mandela, chapter 2, in Long Walk to Freedom, London: Abacus, published 2010, →ISBN, page 11:
  From an early age, I spent most of my free time in the veld playing and fighting with the other boys of the village.
- 1995, Malyn [D. D.] Newitt, “The Interior South of the Zambesi in the Sixteenth Century”, in A History of Mozambique, Bloomington; Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 31:
  South of the Zambesi, the frontier-line separates the high veldt and the low veldt regions, the line itself sometimes running along the crest and sometimes through the middle of the broken escarpment where the high granite tablelands break down towards the sea.
- 2007 January 14, Caroline Elkins, “A life exposed”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, ISSN 0362-4331, OCLC 971436363:
  For [Rachel] Holmes, [Sarah] Baartman’s journey as an object of European curiosity and African exploitation began on the veld of South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
- 2018, Tendai Rinos Mwanaka, “Ruins”, in Keys in the River: New and Collected Stories, Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe: Mwanaka Media and Publishing, →ISBN, page 60:
  In the flatness of the veldts, one would want to communicate with someone else in order to provide theme and variation to the unbounded and unfettered thoughts stretching outward, inspired by the immense sameness of this place.

Alternative forms

veldt (dated)

Derived terms

bushveld
grassveld
hardveld
sandveld
sourveld
sweetveld
thornveld

Related terms

Highveld
Lowveld

Translations

open grassland or pastureland of South Africa and neighbouring countries

Afrikaans: veld (af)
Armenian: վելդ (hy) (veld)
Bulgarian: велд (veld)
Catalan: veld
Czech: pastvina (cs) f
Danish: veld
Dutch: veld (nl) n, grasland (nl) n
French: veld (fr) m
Galician: veld
Georgian: ველდი (veldi)
German: Veld (de) n
Greek: βοσκότοπος (el) m (voskótopos)
Hebrew: ולד‎ (he)
Hindi: वॅल्ड (vĕlḍ)
Hungarian: veld (hu)
Italian: veld m
Lithuanian: veldas
Norwegian:
Bokmål: veld
Portuguese: veld m
Russian: велд m (veld)
Slovene: veld
Spanish: veld m
Swedish: veld (sv)
Ukrainian: велд (veld), фелд (feld)

References

“veld, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022.
“veld, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Stuart Berg Flexner, editor in chief, Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1993, →ISBN.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch veld, from Middle Dutch velt, from Old Dutch feld, felt, from Proto-Germanic *felþą, from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂-.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Noun

veld (plural velde, diminutive veldjie)

A field, open country
A patch or grass and/or other small plants
The veld, the open grassland of South Africa and neighboring countries
A sports field.

Derived terms

grasveld

Descendants

→ English: veld

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch velt, from Old Dutch felt, from Proto-Germanic *felþą, from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /vɛlt/
audio (file)
Hyphenation: veld
Rhymes: -ɛlt
Homophone: Veld

Noun

veld n (plural velden, diminutive veldje n)

A field, open country.
An agricultural field.
Synonym: akker
A patch or grass and/or other small plants.
The field, geographical theatre where warriors operate, especially in battle.
A sports field.
A subjectfield, domain of knowledge, in particular an academic field.
(physics) A field (physical phenomenon pervading an area).

Derived terms

bloembollenveld
bloemenveld
graanveld
grasveld
krachtveld
magneetveld
spanningsveld
urnenveld
veldbed
veldbloem
veldhoen
veldlijn
veldsport
veldvrucht
veldwachter
zwaartekrachtsveld

- toponyms

Achterveld
Amstenraderveld
Amsterdamscheveld
Anevelde
Arriërveld
Balloërveld
Bareveld
Barger-Oosterveld
Barneveld
Basserveld
Bassevelde
Beekveld
Beerzerveld
Beistervelden
Bekkerveld
Bekveld
Benneveld
Bentveld
Bijsterveld
Binderveld
Blaasveld
Borgerveld
Bosscherveld
Breeveld
Broekvelden
Bruchterveld
Buitenveldert
Caumerveld
Den Velde
De Velden
Dietsveld
Eikenderveld
Elderveld
Eleveld
Essenerveld
Esveld
Galgenveld
Geluveld
Geuzenveld
Groenveld
Hamersveld
Hammerveld
Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Harreveld
Heeserveld
Heiveld
Hengevelde
Herveld
Heseveld
Heugemerveld
Hollandscheveld
Hoornseveld
Hordijkerveld
IJsselveld
Jaarsveld
Jagersveld
Kerkenveld
Kisveld
Kogerveld
Laarveld
Lanakerveld
Leeuwerikenveld
Lemelerveld
Lievelde
Limbrichterveld
Lintvelde
Lutterveld
Mariënvelde
Markvelde
Matenveld
Meerveld
Moorveld
Nekkeveld
Nije Veld
Noordenveld
Noordijkerveld
Ommerenveld
Oosterveld
Osseveld
Peldersveld
Pikveld
Rhederveld
Ridderveld
Rolduckerveld
Saasveld
Schinveld
Schöneveld
Schoonveld
Schoonvelde
Schuttersveld
Schutveld
Simpelveld
Sint Antoniusveld
Sluitersveld
Snelleveld
Torenveld
't Veld
Twekkelerveld
Varsseveld
Veenhuizerveld
Velddriel
Veldegem
Velden
Veldhoek
Veldhoven
Veldhuizen
Veldhunten
Veldwezelt
Veldwijk
Vredeveld
Wapenveld
Warnsveld
Waubacherveld
Westerveld
Westervelde
Wittevrouwenveld
Zegveld
Zeijerveld
Zijderveld
Zuidveld
Zuidvelde
Zwanenveld

- military

slagveld
veldgeschut
veldgrijs
veldgroen
veldheer
veldhospitaal
veldhouwitser
veldkeuken
veldmaarschalk
veldoorlog
veldslag
veldteken
veldtocht
veld van eer

- sports

atletiekveld
handbalveld
hockeyveld
honkbalveld
lacrosseveld
oefenveld
poloveld
rugbyveld
speelveld
sportveld
tennisveld
trainingsveld
veldrijden
veldrit
voetbalveld
wedstrijdveld

Descendants

Afrikaans: veld
- → English: veld
Negerhollands: veld
→ Caribbean Javanese: fèlt

Middle English

Noun

veld

Alternative form of feeld

Old Norse

Verb

veld

first-person singular present active indicative of valda

[1] “veld, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022.

[2] “veld, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Stuart Berg Flexner, editor in chief, Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1993, →ISBN.

veld

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Further reading

Afrikaans

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Middle English

Noun

Old Norse

Verb