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Definition of umtata
umtata
/ʊmˈtɑːtə/
um · ta · ta
umtata Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
9
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
Syllables
3
• noun
1
South African The former and historical name of Mthatha, a major town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa that previously served as the capital of the Transkei bantustan during the apartheid era.
Synonyms
View all synonyms for umtataWord Nuance & Usage
The city was officially renamed to Mthatha in 2004 to better reflect its accurate Xhosa spelling and pronunciation; 'Umtata' is now primarily encountered in historical contexts or older literature.
• Rhymes for umtata
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Umtata. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/umtata