Afroasiatic

or Af·ro-A·si·at·ic

[ af-roh-ey-zhee-at-ik, -ey-shee-, -ey-zee- ]

noun

1. Formerly Hamito-Semitic. a family of languages including as subfamilies Semitic, Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and Chadic.

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or pertaining to Afroasiatic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Afroasiatic¹

First recorded in 1955–60; Afro- + Asiatic