Arab

¹ American  

[ar-uhb] / ˈær əb /

noun

1. a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.

2. a member of any Arabic-speaking people.

3. Arabian horse.

4. Also called Arabber.  Sometimes Offensive. a street peddler.

5. Archaic: Sometimes Offensive. street arab.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Arabs.

2. Arabian.

3. Arabic.

Arab. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Arabia.

2. Arabian.

3. Arabic.

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Arab British  

noun

1. a member of a Semitic people originally inhabiting Arabia, who spread throughout the Middle East, N Africa, and Spain during the seventh and eighth centuries _ad

2. a lively intelligent breed of horse, mainly used for riding

3. (modifier) of or relating to the Arabs

   the Arab nations

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Sensitive Note

The meanings “street peddler” and “vagabond” (in this second sense, also called a street arab ) are sometimes perceived as insulting because of their reference to the historically nomadic peoples of Arabia. The meaning “vagabond” has fallen into disuse. However, street vendors in Baltimore, Maryland, are called Arabs; in fact, it is a self-referential term—that is, one used by the vendors themselves.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of Arab as , with an initial sound and secondary stress on the second syllable, is sometimes used facetiously or disparagingly. It is especially common in the street-peddler and street-arab senses and is usually considered offensive in any sense.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Arab adjective
• non-Arab noun
• pro-Arab adjective

Etymology

Origin of Arab

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin Arab-, stem of Arabs, from Greek Árab-, stem of Áraps “Arabian, an Arabian, Arab,” from Arabic ʿArab, a self-designation

Example Sentences

Over the same period, the United Arab Emirates experienced the greatest decline in age-standardized incidence, while Kazakhstan saw the largest decrease in age-standardized death rates.

From Science Daily

Boulbina was an unlikely hero, making just his second cameo appearance off the bench at the tournament having been included in the squad after featuring for Algeria at the recent Arab Cup in Qatar.

From Barron's

In addition, Japan’s close ties with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, India and the U.S. form structural buttresses as Middle Eastern countries undergo their own pivot toward the Indo-Pacific region.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Kingdom also hopes that the brotherly United Arab Emirates will take the necessary steps to preserve bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.

From Los Angeles Times