African

[af-ri-kuhn]

adjective

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

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Africa.

2. (loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.

African

/ ˈæfrɪkən /

adjective

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

noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa

2. a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person

Other Word Forms

• Africanness noun
• inter-African adjective
• non-African adjective
• proAfrican adjective
• pseudo-African adjective
• trans-African adjective

Word 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 Āfricānus “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Āfricānus “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Āfrica (short for terra Āfrica “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Āfrī, plural of adjective and noun Āfer ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾafar “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers

Example Sentences

Earlier this month, Standard Chartered agreed to sell its wealth and retail banking business in Uganda to South African bank Absa Group.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It was set up for them nicely, even more so when they won the toss and got the chance to try to pick at raw South African batting wounds by bowling first.

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International bodies such as the European Union and African Union have expressed alarm, while locals say the current situation is reminiscent of the region's darkest days.

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The green card is a permanent residence permit for the US - prized by many African immigrants to the US.

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Violent crackdowns by police and security officers on protesters have alarmed the international community, with the UN, African Union and EU calling for restraint.

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