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Definition of cunene
cunene
/kuːˈneɪneɪ/
Cu · ne · ne
cunene Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
10
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A major river in Southern Africa that originates in the Angolan highlands, flows south to form part of the Angola-Namibia border, and courses west to empty into the Atlantic Ocean.
2
A province located in southern Angola, sharing a border with Namibia and named after the river that defines much of its geography.
Example
"Ondjiva serves as the administrative capital of the Cunene province in Angola."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for cuneneWord Nuance & Usage
Often spelled 'Kunene', particularly in Namibian and English-language contexts.
• Rhymes for cunene
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from local Bantu languages (likely Herero), originally denoting the right side or the large river of the region.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cunene. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cunene