Ἀφρική

See also: Αφρική

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Formed alongside Latin Africa. Occurs in Ptolemy, Cassius Dio, and later authors. The adjective Ἀφρικανός (Aphrikanós) is older, attested in fragments attributed to Manetho (3rd century BC), as well as in Polybius (died 118 BC), Posidonius, Diodorus Siculus and Plutarchus. The word was received by the Romans from the Carthaginians as the term for their country. The term replaces Λιβύη (Libúē) as the name of the continent (i.e. the part of the world south of the Mediterranean) in the Roman era (from ca. the 1st century AD), but like Λιβύη (Libúē) also remains in use for the more limited area between Egypt and Numidia.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /aː.pʰri.kɛ̌ː/ → /a.ɸriˈci/ → /a.friˈci/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /aː.pʰri.kɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.pʰriˈke̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ɸriˈci/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.friˈci/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.friˈci/

Proper noun

Ἀφρική • (Aphrikḗ) f (genitive Ἀφρικῆς); first declension

1. Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)
   • ca. 220, Cassius Dio, Roman History, 48,1:

     καὶ Καίσαρι μὲν ἥ τε Ἰβηρία καὶ ἡ Νουμιδία, Ἀντωνίῳ δὲ ἥ τε Γαλατία καὶ ἡ Ἀφρικὴ ἐγένετο:

     kaì Kaísari mèn hḗ te Ibēría kaì hē Noumidía, Antōníōi dè hḗ te Galatía kaì hē Aphrikḕ egéneto:

     and Spain and Numidia fell to Caesar, Gaul and Africa to Antony.

2. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ Ἀφρῐκή; τῆς Ἀφρῐκῆς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Ἀφρῐκή hē Aphrĭkḗ
Genitive	τῆς Ἀφρῐκῆς tês Aphrĭkês
Dative	τῇ Ἀφρῐκῇ tēî Aphrĭkēî
Accusative	τὴν Ἀφρῐκήν tḕn Aphrĭkḗn
Vocative	Ἀφρῐκή Aphrĭkḗ
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• Λιβύη (Libúē)

Derived terms

• Ἀφρικανός (Aphrikanós)

Descendants

• Greek: Αφρική (Afrikí)
• → Arabic: إِفْرِيقِيَة (ʔifrīqiya)

References

• Ἀφρική in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)