kopje

Definition

A small hill or mound, especially on the African veld.

Etymology

From (South African) Dutch kopje, diminutive of kop (“head”).

Example Sentences

• "In one spot only was the solemn monotony of the plain broken. Near the center a small solitary “kopje” rose. Alone it lay there, a heap of round ironstones piled one upon the other, as over some giant’s grave."
• "We selected a lichenous kopje perhaps fifteen yards away, and landed neatly on its summit one after the other."
• "It was nearly noon when he reached the great bowlder at the top of which terminated the secret passage to the pits beneath the city. Like a cat he scaled the precipitous sides of the frowning granite kopje."