bantoid
|ban-toid|
/ˈbæn.tɔɪd/
Bantu-like; related to Bantu languages
Etymology
'bantoid' originates from an English linguistic coinage combining 'Bantu' (from the Bantu element ba- 'people' + -ntu 'person', used to name the Bantu languages) and the suffix '-oid' (from Greek 'oeidḗs') meaning 'resembling'.
'bantoid' was formed in early 20th-century linguistic literature by appending the Greek-derived suffix '-oid' to 'Bantu' to denote languages or features resembling or related to Bantu; it entered technical English usage to classify the Bantoid subgroup of Benue–Congo.
Initially coined to mean 'resembling or related to Bantu', the term has retained this specialized linguistic sense and is used primarily in classifications of African languages.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a language that belongs to the Bantoid group (a subgroup of Benue–Congo languages that includes Bantu and related languages).
Ghomala is a bantoid language spoken in parts of Cameroon.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to, resembling, or characteristic of the Bantu languages or the larger Bantoid subgroup of Benue–Congo languages.
The paper discusses bantoid phonological features that distinguish several subgroups.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/13 03:20