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Today it means

veld

open, grassy country in southern Africa

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Where does the word "veld" come from? It comes from Afrikaans/Dutch veld, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "veld" come from? It comes from Afrikaans/Dutch veld, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Veld’s story begins in Afrikaans/Dutch: veld meant “field, open country.” Meaning "field". It reached English by 1800s as veld. Afrikaans 'field', related to English 'field'. Today, veld means open, grassy country in southern Africa.

  1. Stage 1 · Afrikaans/Dutch · medieval veld "field, open country", meaning "field".
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s veld "open, grassy country in southern Africa", Afrikaans 'field', related to English 'field'.

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