Shangaan

English Etymology From the name of Soshangani, the leader of the Revolt against Chaka Zulu, who fled to Zimbabwe. Alternatively from Zulu: shangane: a wanderer. Proper noun An African tribe or clan or nation. The language of the Shangaan. I talked Portuguese fairly well, and Peter spoke it like a Lourenço Marques bar-keeper, with a lot of Shangaan words to fill up. Noun Shangani Shangans A member of this tribe. Usage notes Shang is a sub standard spelling of the plural. Shangani is the preferred plural. Shangans is an alternative accepted plural. References Branford, Jean (ed.), 1976, A Dictionary of South African English. en Languages