donga

UK: /ˈdɒŋɡə/ US: (dong′gə, dông′gə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

don•ga  (dong′gə, dông′gə), n. 

1. Geology (in an ice shelf ) a small ravine with steep sides.
2. Geology (in South Africa) an eroded ravine;
   a dry watercourse.

• a pidginized form with loss of the class prefix, as Fanagalo donga
• Nguni (compare Zulu u(lu)donga); perh. directly
• 1875–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

donga / ˈdɒŋɡə/ noun

1. a steep-sided gully created by soil erosion

Etymology: 19th Century: Afrikaans, from Nguni donga washed out gully