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tagati. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tagati, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tagati in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
The term is first recorded in 1836; it derives from the Zulu word umthakathi, being someone who mixes medicine, which itself comes from the Zulu thaka (mix) and muthi (medicine). The term has gradually come to be used to refer only to negative, harmful uses of medicines derived from plants, animals and minerals.
Noun
tagati (uncountable)
- In South African English, a wizard, witch, or a spiteful person who operates in secret to harm others or who uses poisons and familiar spirits to carry out harmful deeds.
1992, Colin Bender, Makapan odyssey, page 166:No, the average Bantu always had a dilemma; live with the wild tribes and never know when some witchdoctor's tagati would strike him down; or live with the umlungus and respect his authority (and his sjambok).
References
- Silva, P., (ed.) 1996. The Oxford Dictionary of South African English, Oxford University Press.