‖baie, adjective and & adverb

/ˈbaɪə/
Forms:
baaija, baaijeShow more Also baaija, baaije, baing, ba’je, banja, banje, banya, beyae, bonya, bye.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African Dutch, MalayShow more Afrikaans, earlier South African Dutch banje, from Malay banyak many, much, plenty.
A. adjective Much, many.
1815 J. Campbell Trav. in S. Afr. 120He offered to bring the water of two neighbouring fountains to water his ground; but all his arguments made no impression on the lazy boor, who said it would be bye (or superfluous) trouble.
1850 J.D. Lewins Diary. 15 Aug.Watering every thing. Lovely day. Tseu says beyae ewes are in lamb.
1899 Natal Agric. Jrnl 31 Mar. 4‘Banje,’ much, is a word of Malay origin.
1945 N. Devitt People & Places 144A common word is ‘banja’ or ‘baie’. It is from the Malay and means very, much, or many.
B. adverb Very; very much.
Note:
Usually in Afrikaans phrases. See also baie dankie (dankie sense 1 b).
1855 G.H. Mason Life with Zulus 201The two Zulus..had lived for some months on the coast, and had therefore become tolerably familiar with the coast Caffres (Fingoes), whom they described as Bonya-skellom Fingoe (rascally Fingoes).
1863 E.L. Price Jrnls (1956) 149His sufferings increased fearfully..each morning as we enquired into his case, he wd. shake his head dolefully & say ‘Groetman banja sick!’ — ‘Greatman is very sick!’
1884 B. Adams Narr. (1941) 215He said he did not want anything for his trouble — would rather not take anything — as I was such a banya mooi baas — very good master.
1911 L. Cohen Reminisc. of Kimberley 323‘What’s the matter, Leroux?’ ‘Baaije siek’ (very ill) complained the Boer. ‘I cannot eat, am sick of a morning, have pains in my legs, back, and head.’
1913 J.J. Doke Secret City 256Wait, there’s a good soul, until you are quite strong, baaija sterk.
1915 D. Fairbridge Torch Bearer 62‘Baing mooi’ murmured the audience courteously, ‘Very pretty!’
1920 R.Y. Stormberg Mrs Pieter de Bruyn 13Love to all. Ba’je haastig, Gwenno.
1964 L.G. Green Old Men Say 59I was drinking tickey beer, But I took too much, dear murrer,..And my money disappear, Now I cannot pay John Campbell, And my kop is baing seer.
1990 Top Forty July 12A bunch of ‘new’ Afrikaners put together an irreverant gathering of musos...Baie nice. Cultural transmutation, and colloquial backbiting at its dusty best.
Much, many.
Very; very much.
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18151990

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idiomatic
bagger, nounn.bakeoven, nounn.
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