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

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Arabic

He also said he was forced to sign a document in Arabic, which said he agreed to the sentence, without understanding what he was putting his name to.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

The latter wore turbans and robes and spoke Arabic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Known as the "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, the Bab al-Mandeb strait sits at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting it with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

It has given Morocco a competitiveness and belief which has become the blueprint for other African and Arabic nations, and it gives them a different aura to four years ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Bobby’s pragmatic philosophy was similar to the old Arabic saying “Trust in Allah but tie up your camel.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady