kopje

Everyday

1. (South Africa) A small hill, usually rocky, standing alone on flat open land (the veld). tree →
2. It comes from Afrikaans and Dutch, meaning «little head». tree →

In the lessons

In geography lessons about southern Africa, kopjes are small rocky hills on the grasslands, where lions and other animals rest; in history lessons about the Boer War, soldiers fought around kopjes. A similar word is «tor» on Dartmoor. Phrases: a rocky kopje.

Examples

• The lions lay on top of the kopje, watching the plain. tree →
• A kopje is a small rocky hill in South Africa. tree →
• From the kopje, we could see the whole valley. tree →
• The soldiers hid behind a kopje. tree →
• Baboons climbed over the rocks of the kopje. tree →
• The safari truck stopped near a kopje at sunset. tree →

Note

Countable: a kopje, kopjes. Pronounced KOP-ee. The «j» is silent, as in Dutch and Afrikaans. Also spelled «koppie». A South African English word.