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

Just a couple of years ago, countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic were hiring mercenaries from the Kremlin-aligned Wagner Group to protect their leaders and fight their enemies.

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DR Congo has had 16 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in 1976, when the vast central African country was known as Zaire.

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It recommended the "expansion of the opt-out testing programme" at facilities such as women's health hubs, as well as "locally-led campaigns" targeting at-risk groups which also included "Black African and Asian communities".

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European law-enforcement authorities have boosted cooperation with African countries, but failed to keep pace with rising volumes.

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Shirt pulling then cost the South Africans a penalty and Togolese substitute Marouf Tchakei levelled by firing a low spot kick into the corner of the net.

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