Arabic

American  

[ar-uh-bik] / ˈær ə bɪk /

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or derived from the language or literature of the Arabs.

2. noting, pertaining to, or derived from an alphabetic script in which etymologically short vowels are not normally represented, used for the writing of Arabic probably since about the fourth century a.d., and adopted with modifications by Persian, Urdu, and many other languages.

3. of or relating to Arabs.

4. of or relating to Arabia or its inhabitants; Arabian.

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noun

1. a Semitic language that developed out of the language of the Arabians of the time of Muhammad, now spoken in countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ar, Ar.

2. the standard literary and classical language as established by the Quran.

Arabic British  

/ ˈærəbɪk /

noun

1. the language of the Arabs, spoken in a variety of dialects; the official language of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, the Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. It is estimated to be the native language of some 75 million people throughout the world. It belongs to the Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages and has its own alphabet, which has been borrowed by certain other languages such as Urdu

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adjective

1. denoting or relating to this language, any of the peoples that speak it, or the countries in which it is spoken

Other Word Forms

• anti-Arabic
  adjective
• non-Arabic
  adjective
• pro-Arabic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of Arabic

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English arabik, from Latin Arabicus “Arabian,” equivalent to Arab(ia) + -icus adjective suffix; see -ic

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Arabic

A team in South Africa hosts all-female drag races, while the popular reality TV show The Fastest in Arabic has raised the profile of women racers in the Middle East.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

DUBAI—Hamam al-Hammami, identified by people familiar with the matter as the co-pilot on FlyDubai Flight 1073, posted a paean to flying in a now-deleted social-media post from June 2022 written in Arabic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Traditional ink was generally made from soot, water, and a binder such as gum Arabic.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

While Beyoncé’s early solo releases were built on R&B, she demonstrated a curiosity for global sounds like reggae, Latin and Arabic music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

The most up-to-date version available was a Latin translation made in the twelfth century by Gerard of Cremona, which was translated from an Arabic text which had itself been translated from the Greek long before.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

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