Africa
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English Affrike, from Old French Affrique, Affrike, from Latin Āfrica, from Āfrī, singular Āfer (inhabitant of the country of Carthage), in turn either from:
- The Punic or Phoenician word 𐤏𐤐𐤓 (ʿpr /ʿafar/, “dust”), which has cognates in other Semitic languages.
- The Berber word ifri (“cave”), plural ifran, in reference to cave dwellers of Tunisia (see Tataouine).
Folk etymologies include:
- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + φρίκη f (phríkē), meaning "without cold"
- Latin aprica (“sunny”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈæf.ɹɪ.kə/
- (General South African) IPA(key): /ɛfrɨkə/
Audio (Canada) (file) - Rhymes: -æfɹɪkə
Proper noun
Africa (countable and uncountable, plural Africas)
- The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica.
- the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa
- Synonym: (sometimes offensive, dated, informal) Dark Continent
- (nonstandard, proscribed) Sub-Saharan Africa, contrasted with the Maghreb.
- 2021 June 10, Abdelmajid Hannoum, The Invention of the Maghreb: Between Africa and the Middle East, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 205:
- The Sahara stood as an important marker between the Maghreb and Africa, not only in modern times but in times immemorial.
- (historical) A province of the Roman Empire containing what is now modern Tunisia and portions of Libya.
- A surname.
Hyponyms
Central Africa
Eastern Africa
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Seychelles
- Rwanda
- Somalia – Somaliland – Puntland
- Tanzania
- Uganda
Northern Africa
Southern Africa
- Angola
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Reunion
- Swaziland
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Western Africa
Derived terms
- Afrasia
- Africa-Eurasia
- African
- Africa time
- Black Africa
- darkest Africa
- British Central Africa
- Eurafrasia
- Eurafrica
- French Equatorial Africa
- German East Africa
- hinge of Africa
- Horn of Africa
- North Africa
- Pearl of Africa
- Portuguese East Africa
- Portuguese West Africa
- South Africa
- South West Africa
- sub-Saharan Africa
- West Africa
Related terms
Descendants
- → Swahili: Afrika
Translations
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See also
- (continents) continent; Africa, America (North America, Central America, South America), Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Oceania (Category: en:Continents)
Corsican
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈafrika/
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/
- Rhymes: -afrika
- Hyphenation: À‧fri‧ca
Related terms
See also
- (continents) continente; Africa, America (America meridionale, America settentrionale), Antartide, Asia, Europa, Oceania (Category: it:Continents)
Latin
Etymology
Feminine of āfricus/Āfricus, as a noun elliptic of terra āfrica/Āfrica (literally “the land of the Afri”). The adjective Āfricus comes from the name of the Āfrī (singular Āfer), a tribal people of the area near Carthage, by addition of the suffix -icus.
The Latin term formed alongside Greek ἡ Ἀφρική (hē Aphrikḗ), both terms being attested since the first century.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈaː.fri.ka/, [ˈäːfrɪkä]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/, [ˈäːfrikä]
Proper noun
Āfrica f sg (genitive Āfricae); first declension
- Northwestern Africa, the territory of Carthage, the African coast west of the Nile
- Nilus Africam ab Aethiopiā dispescens (Pliny 5, 9, 10, § 53)
- Africa (a province of the Roman Empire) (later split into Africa Zeugitana and Africa Byzacena under Diocletian)
- Africa as a continent, understood as the quarter of the globe south of the Mediterranean
- Si probare possemus Ligarium in Āfricā omnino non fuisse.
- If we could prove that Ligarius was not at all in Africa.
Declension
First-declension noun, singular only.
Case | Singular |
---|---|
Nominative | Āfrica |
Genitive | Āfricae |
Dative | Āfricae |
Accusative | Āfricam |
Ablative | Āfricā |
Vocative | Āfrica |
Descendants
References
- "Africa", in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- "Africa", in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Africa in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Occitan
Related terms
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/
- Hyphenation: A‧fri‧ca
Declension
See also
- (continents) continent; Africa, America (America de Nord, America de Sud), Antarctica, Asia, Europa, Oceania (Category: ro:Continents)