AFRICAN Definition & Meaning

African

[ af-ri-kuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

of or from Africa; belonging to the Black peoples of Africa.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Africa.
(loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.

African

/ ˈæ�ڰ�ɪ��ə�� /

adjective

denoting or relating to Africa or any of its peoples, languages, nations, etc

noun

a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa
a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��۾�·��·�Ա�� noun
��t��-��۾�·�� adjective
�Դǲ�-��۾�·�� adjective noun
��·��۾�·�� adjective noun
��d��-��۾�·�� adjective noun
�ٰ��Բ�-��۾�·�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of African¹

First recorded before 1000 for noun, 1540–60 for adjective; Middle English noun Affrican, Aufrican “an inhabitant of North Africa or the Roman province of Africa (approximately modern Tunisia),” Old English noun Africanas “Africans” (accusative plural), from Late Latin Ā�ڰ��Գܲ� “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Ā�ڰ��Գܲ� “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Ā�ڰ�� (short for terra Ā�ڰ�� “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Ā�ڰ�ī, plural of adjective and noun Ā�ڱ�� ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾ��ڲ�� “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers

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Compare Meanings

How does African compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Since 2000, certain African countries had duty-free access to the US market for a raft of goods including clothing and textiles, cocoa products and wine, as well as crude oil.

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I mean surviving abolitionists, some abolitionist feminists, African Americans, other sort of labor activists, they continue to contest.

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Libyan authorities have accused aid groups of plotting to change the country's ethnic make-up by encouraging African migrants to stay there, and has ordered them to close their offices.

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The Trump administration has now imposed tariffs of 30% on all South African imports, in a move that is likely to be a huge blow to its already floundering economy.

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In a statement, the South African presidency condemned the new tariffs as "punitive", saying they could "serve as a barrier to trade and shared prosperity".

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