Berber

[ bur-ber ]

noun

1. a member of a group of North African tribes living in Barbary and the Sahara.
2. a subfamily of Afro-Asiatic, consisting of the languages of the Berbers, including Tuareg and Kabyle.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Berbers or their language.

Berber

/ ˈbɜːbə /

noun

1. a member of a Caucasoid Muslim people of N Africa
2. the language of this people, forming a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. There are extensive differences between dialects

adjective

1. of or relating to this people or their language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Berber¹

1835–45; < Arabic barbar < Greek bárbaros; barbarous

Example Sentences

Egyptian authorities do have some reason to doubt Berber and Bedouin loyalty.

From The Daily Beast

They greeted us with a glass of sugared mint tea, called a “Berber whisky”, poured from high above out of a silver teapot.

From The Daily Beast

Mouha repeated his Berber mantra at times, “People in a hurry are already dead.”

From The Daily Beast

Mouha talked about the generosity and solidarity of Berber communities.

From The Daily Beast

It had taken the camels and their black-turbaned Berber herders four long days to walk from the Sahara.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps the influence of the Berber blood in the population helps to prolong this barbarism.

From Project Gutenberg

Duly interpreted into Berber this satisfied him, and he promised to comply.

From Project Gutenberg

Breber, Baraba, Berber, all three phases of the word are found.

From Project Gutenberg

He is reckoned one of the greatest chieftains of the Berber people in the south.

From Project Gutenberg

And his instructions were to seize Metammeh and march on Berber!

From Project Gutenberg