/ əˈpɑːtaɪt; -eɪt; NAmE əˈpɑːrtaɪt; -eɪt/ noun
[ U ] the former political system in South Africa in which only white people had full political rights and other people, especially black people, were forced to live away from white people, go to separate schools, etc.
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WORD ORIGIN
1940s: from Afrikaans , literally separateness , from Dutch apart separate + -heid (equivalent of -hood ).