kraal

kraal
/krahl/, n.
1. an enclosure for cattle and other domestic animals in southern Africa.
2. a village of the native peoples of South Africa, usually surrounded by a stockade or the like and often having a central space for livestock.
3. such a village as a social unit.
4. an enclosure where wild animals are exhibited, as in a zoo.
v.t.
5. to shut up in a krall, as cattle.
Also, craal.
[1725-35; < Afrik < Pg curral pen; see CORRAL]

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In southern Africa, an enclosure or group of houses surrounding an enclosure for livestock, or the social unit that inhabits these structures.

The term has been more broadly used to describe the associated way of life. Among some Zulus, the traditional kraal consists of a number of huts arranged in a circle around a cattle corral. Where polygyny is practiced, each wife often has her own hut. The word kraal has also been applied to the temporary encampments of the Masai of eastern Africa.

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      enclosure or group of houses surrounding an enclosure for livestock, or the social unit that inhabits these structures. The term has been more broadly used to describe the way of life associated with the kraal that is found among some African, especially South African, peoples. Among certain peoples of KwaZulu/Natal (KwaZulu-Natal), for example, the kraal consists of a number of huts arranged in a circle around a cattle corral. polygyny is common, and each wife has her own hut within the kraal. The head of the kraal may have custody of the property attached to the houses of his several wives.

      The term has also been used to describe the encampments of the pastoral Masai (Maasai) of East Africa. The household may consist of an elderly father, his wives, and his married sons. This group migrates as a unit. During seasonal migrations, small, temporary kraals are built; there are also more permanent settlements. Women are responsible for the construction and maintenance of the kraal, and here too each wife has her own hut.

      The word kraal has also been applied to elephant corrals in Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • kraal — kraal …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • kraal — [ kral ] n. m. • 1735; mot néerl.; cf. corral 1 ♦ Village chez les Hottentots. 2 ♦ Enclos pour le bétail en Afrique du Sud. Des kraals. ● kraal nom masculin (mot afrikaans, du portugais curral, cage) En Afrique du Sud, village indigène ou enclos… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Kraal — (also spelled craal or kraul) is an Afrikaans and Dutch word (also used in South African English) for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within an African settlement or village surrounded by a palisade, mud wall, or other fencing …   Wikipedia

  • Kraal — Kraal: ↑ Kral. * * * Kraal,   der Kral. * * * Kraal: ↑Kral …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kraal — (kr[aum]l or kr[add]l; 277), n. [D., a village, inclosure, park, prob. fr. Pg. curral a cattle pen; the same word as Sp. corral. See {Corral}.] 1. A collection of huts within a stockade; a village; sometimes, a single hut. [South Africa] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • kraal — KRAÁL s. n. aşezare temporară a crescătorilor de vite în Africa de Sud, în care colibele sunt dispuse în cerc, în jurul oborului animalelor. (< fr. kraal) Trimis de raduborza, 15.09.2007. Sursa: MDN …   Dicționar Român

  • kraal — (n.) village, pen, enclosure, 1731, South African, from colonial Du. kraal, from Port. curral (see CORRAL (Cf. corral)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • kraal — S. African ► NOUN 1) a traditional African village of huts. 2) an enclosure for sheep and cattle. ► VERB ▪ drive (animals) into a kraal. ORIGIN Dutch, from Portuguese curral corral …   English terms dictionary

  • kraal — [kräl, krôl] n. [Afrik, village, pen, enclosure < Port curral, pen for cattle; akin to Sp corral,CORRAL] 1. a village of South African natives, usually surrounded by a stockade 2. a fenced enclosure for cattle or sheep in South Africa; pen vt …   English World dictionary

  • Kraal — Kraal, eine Gruppe von Hütten bei den Hottentotten …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Kraal — Kraal, s. Kral …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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