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Africa

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: africa, áfrica, africà, África, and Àfrica

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
African Continent

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English Affrike, from Old French Affrique, Affrike, from Latin Āfrica, from Āfrī, singular Āfer (inhabitant of the country of Carthage), in turn either from:

Folk etymologies include:

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Africa (countable and uncountable, plural Africas)

  2. The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica.
    Synonym: (sometimes offensive, dated, informal) Dark Continent
    the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa
    • 2025 January 18, Nimi Princewill, “Across Africa, Russia is growing in influence. What might Moscow want?”, in CNN‎[1]:
      As Russia’s foothold in Africa expands – notably in the mineral-rich Sahel region that is beset by recurring coups, armed rebellion and extremist insurgency – anti-Western sentiments, partly fueled by Russian propaganda, are engineering the exit of Western troops from swathes of territory.
  3. (nonstandard, proscribed) Sub-Saharan Africa, contrasted with the Maghreb.
    • 2021 June 10, Abdelmajid Hannoum, The Invention of the Maghreb: Between Africa and the Middle East, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 205:
      The Sahara stood as an important marker between the Maghreb and Africa, not only in modern times but in times immemorial.
  5. (historical) A former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia, northeastern Algeria and portions of coastal Libya; existing from 146 BC (initially in the Roman Republic) through 698 AD, except for 439 through 534 AD, when it was occupied by the Vandals.
  6. A surname.

Meronyms

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Countries of Africa

Central Africa

Eastern Africa

Northern Africa

Southern Africa

Western Africa

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Swahili: Afrika

Translations

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See also

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continentsedit

Anagrams

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Corsican

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Corsican Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia co

Etymology

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From Latin Africa. Cognates include Italian Africa and French Afrique.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Africa f

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

Italian

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Etymology

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From Latin Africa.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/
  • Rhymes: -afrika
  • Hyphenation: À‧fri‧ca

Proper noun

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Africa f

  1. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans)
  2. (historical) Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)
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See also

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continents: continentiedit

Anagrams

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Latin

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Latin Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia la

Etymology

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Ellipsis of terra āfrica f (“African land”), where it is the feminine of the adjective āfricus, from Āfrī (“a tribal people of the area near Carthage”) +‎ -icus (suffix forming adjectives). The Latin term formed alongside Ancient Greek Ἀφρική (Aphrikḗ), both terms being attested since the first century.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Āfrica f sg (genitive Āfricae); first declension

  1. Northwestern Africa, the territory of Carthage, the African coast west of the Nile
    Nilus Africam ab Aethiopiā dispescens (Pliny 5, 9, 10, § 53)
  2. Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)
  3. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans) (understood as the quarter of the globe south of the Mediterranean)
    Si probare possemus Ligarium in Āfricā omnino non fuisse.
    If we could prove that Ligarius was not at all in Africa.

Declension

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First-declension noun, singular only.

singular
nominative Āfrica
genitive Āfricae
dative Āfricae
accusative Āfricam
ablative Āfricā
vocative Āfrica
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Descendants

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Borrowings

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  • Middle Persian: [Term?] (/⁠frīgā⁠/)

References

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  • "Africa", in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • "Africa", in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “Africa”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Occitan

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Occitan Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia oc

Etymology

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From Latin Africa.

Proper noun

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Africa f

  1. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans)
  2. (historical) Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)
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Old English

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Etymology

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From Latin Africa.

Proper noun

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Africa m

  1. Africa

Derived terms

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References

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Romanian

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Romanian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ro

Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin Africa.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/
  • Hyphenation: A‧fri‧ca

Proper noun

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Africa f

  1. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans)
  2. (historical) Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)

Declension

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singular only indefinite definite
nominative-accusative Africă Africa
genitive-dative Africi Africii
vocative Africă, Africo

See also

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continents: continenteedit
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