Word
aasvogel
Phoneticsaasvo·gel
Definition
n. a large bird that eats dead animals, like a vulture. It is a word used mostly in South Africa to describe these birds of prey.
n. a vulture, specifically one found in southern Africa. Borrowed from Afrikaans, it is primarily used in South African English or in a literary context to evoke a specific regional setting.
Examples
“The aasvogel circled high above the dry plains.”
“As the sun rose over the veld, a lone aasvogel landed near the remains of the lion's kill.”
“In the stark landscape of the Karoo, the sight of an aasvogel serves as a grim reminder of the unforgiving cycle of life and death in the wilderness.”
Examples
simple
“The aasvogel circled high above the dry plains.”
contextual
“As the sun rose over the veld, a lone aasvogel landed near the remains of the lion's kill.”
complex
“In the stark landscape of the Karoo, the sight of an aasvogel serves as a grim reminder of the unforgiving cycle of life and death in the wilderness.”
Usage
Primarily restricted to South African English or historical and literary accounts of the region.
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans aasvogel (“vulture”) (obsolete form of aasvoël), from Dutch aasvogel, from aas (“carrion”) + vogel (“bird”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/aasvogel