Arabic

American  

[ar-uh-bik] / ˈær ə bɪk /

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or derived from the language or literature of the Arabs.

2. noting, pertaining to, or derived from an alphabetic script in which etymologically short vowels are not normally represented, used for the writing of Arabic probably since about the fourth century a.d., and adopted with modifications by Persian, Urdu, and many other languages.

3. of or relating to Arabs.

4. of or relating to Arabia or its inhabitants; Arabian.

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noun

1. a Semitic language that developed out of the language of the Arabians of the time of Muhammad, now spoken in countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ar, Ar.

2. the standard literary and classical language as established by the Quran.

Arabic British  

/ ˈærəbɪk /

noun

1. the language of the Arabs, spoken in a variety of dialects; the official language of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, the Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. It is estimated to be the native language of some 75 million people throughout the world. It belongs to the Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages and has its own alphabet, which has been borrowed by certain other languages such as Urdu

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adjective

1. denoting or relating to this language, any of the peoples that speak it, or the countries in which it is spoken

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pro-Arabic
  adjective
• anti-Arabic
  adjective
• non-Arabic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Arabic

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English arabik, from Latin Arabicus “Arabian,” equivalent to Arab(ia) + -icus adjective suffix; see -ic

Example Sentences

Inside one hotel hosting Iranian pilgrims posters lined the walls written in Arabic and English stating: "Raising flags and saying religious or political slogans is prohibited," echoing an earlier warning broadcast by the interior ministry.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

The Arabic translation of one of his books inspired the Islamist ideologue Sayed Qutb to develop his critique of the Enlightenment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

He attended Arabic school on Saturdays at the center.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Hezbollah, or Party of God in Arabic, was created in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of Lebanon in the Lebanese civil war.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

There’s a giant painting in Arabic script across from the doorway.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan