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  • nubia
    nubia
    noun
    a light, knitted woolen head scarf for women.
  • Nubia
    Nubia
    noun
    a region in southern Egypt and the Sudan, north of Khartoum, extending from the Nile to the Red Sea.

nubia

1 American  
[noo-bee-uh, nyoo-] / ˈnu bi ə, ˈnju- /

noun

  1. a light, knitted woolen head scarf for women.


Nubia 2 American  
[noo-bee-uh, nyoo-] / ˈnu bi ə, ˈnju- /

noun

  1. a region in southern Egypt and the Sudan, north of Khartoum, extending from the Nile to the Red Sea.

  2. Kingdom of Nubia, an ancient state in Nubia, 2000 b.c.–a.d. 1400.

  3. Lake Nubia. Lake Nassar.


Nubia British  
/ ˈnjuːbɪə /

noun

  1. an ancient region of NE Africa, on the Nile, extending from Aswan to Khartoum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nubia1

1855–60; < Latin nūb ( ēs ) a cloud + -ia

Origin of Nubia2

First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin Nuba, Nubia, from Latin Nuba (singular), Nubae (plural), Nubaeī (from Greek Noûbai, Noubaîoi, the name of a people in southern Egypt and northern Sudan; further origin obscure; possibly from Egyptian nwb “gold”) + -ia noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Preparatory to ascending to the trapeze Alfred unwound the nubia from his waist, casting it on the ground.

From Watch Yourself Go By by Warden, Ben W.

She was busy counting the stitches in a nubia she was knitting for old Aunt Pashy, Roebuck.

From Back Home by Wood, Eugene

Symes shoved up the shade to see the lovely Pearline Starr, with her head tied in a nubia, fighting her way through his front gate.

From The Lady Doc by Lockhart, Caroline

In a low chair before the open window sat the widow knitting a blue and white nubia.

From Macaria by Evans, Augusta J. (Augusta Jane)

She unwound the long red scarf from her neck and bound her nubia closer about her throat.

From Winning the Wilderness by Marchand, J. N.

"A new era of AI agent smartphones begins," Nubia said, sharing images of the handsets online.

From Barron's Jul. 19, 2026

Nubia Diaz, an attorney for Mancillas, said her client “has always maintained his innocence.”

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 21, 2025

Nubia Delatorre, 19, said she is proud to be a member of the second female platoon in Bravo Company, but admits the men and women do not interact very much.

From Seattle Times Oct. 8, 2023

Scholars tend to study ancient Egypt as a part of the Mediterranean world, with cultural and political links to Greece and Rome, as well as with Nubia, which roughly coincides with modern-day Sudan.

From New York Times Jun. 18, 2023

Since the southern boundary of Egypt can not yet be regarded as fixed, it is impossible to give trustworthy statistics of the area and population of Nubia.

From Alden's Handy Atlas of the World by Alden, John B.

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