- Bittereinder
"Bittereinders" refers to those
Boers , thewhites in South Africa of mostly Dutch descent, who refused to concede defeat to the victoriousBritish Empire during and after theSecond Boer War (1899-1901) and wished to conitinue the war against the British by any means possible.The word is derived from the
Dutch language upon which theAfrikaans language of the Boers (later known asAfrikaners ) is based.The words "bitter einder" (singular, the final "s" denotes plural) literally mean "bitter-ender" denoting someone who is "willing to fight to the " even unto death.
It could be used as another name for a "war party" (a faction within a political or militray group favoring the waging of war) or for any group which does not wish to diminish its "fighting spirit" wanting to fight it out to the "bitter end."
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