Meanings
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1
noun
dated, often capitalized: a member of one of the San peoples of southern Africa; San or a specific community name is generally preferred
The museum retained Bushman only inside the historical quotation and identified the community as San in its caption.
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2
noun
a person who lives or works in remote bush country, especially the Australian outback, and is experienced in its conditions
The veteran bushman could find water and navigate across the dry interior.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Formed from bush + man. Europeans applied the capitalized term to San peoples of southern Africa, while Australian English developed the separate sense 'a person experienced in the bush.' The ethnic label is now often considered dated; specific community names are preferable.