Africa
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- Afrika (sometimes used in AAVE)
- Affrike (archaic)
- Afric (poetic, archaic)
- Africk (obsolete)
- Afficky (obsolete)
Etymology edit
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:
- The Punic or Phoenician word 𐤏𐤐𐤓 (ʿpr /ʿafar/, “dust”), which has cognates in other Semitic languages.
- The Berber word ifri (“cave”), plural ifran, in reference to cave dwellers of Tunisia (see Tataouine).
Folk etymologies include:
- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + φρίκη f (phríkē), meaning "without cold"
- Latin aprica (“sunny”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation, US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈæf.ɹɪ.kə/
- (General South African) IPA(key): /ɛfrɨkə/
Audio (Canada) (file) - Rhymes: -æfɹɪkə
Proper noun edit
Africa (countable and uncountable, plural Africas)
- The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica.
- the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa
- Synonym: (sometimes offensive, dated, informal) Dark Continent
- (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.
- (historical) A province of the Roman Empire containing what is now modern Tunisia and portions of Libya.
- A surname.
Hyponyms edit
Countries of Africa
Central Africa
Eastern Africa
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Seychelles
- Rwanda
- Somalia – Somaliland – Puntland
- Tanzania
- Uganda
Northern Africa
Southern Africa
- Angola
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Reunion
- Swaziland
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Western Africa
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
- Afrasia
- Africa-Eurasia
- African
- Africa time
- Black Africa
- darkest Africa
- British Central Africa
- Eurafrasia
- Eurafrica
- French Equatorial Africa
- German East Africa
- hinge of Africa
- Horn of Africa
- North Africa
- Pearl of Africa
- Portuguese East Africa
- Portuguese West Africa
- South Africa
- South West Africa
- sub-Saharan Africa
- West Africa
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
- → Swahili: Afrika
Translations edit
continent
|
sub-Saharan Africa — see sub-Saharan Africa
See also edit
- (continents) continent; Africa, America (North America, Central America, South America), Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Oceania (Category: en:Continents)
Anagrams edit
Corsican edit
Etymology edit
From Latin Africa. Cognates include Italian Africa and French Afrique.
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Africa f
- Africa (a continent)
Italian edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Africa f
- Africa (a continent)
Related terms edit
Related terms
See also edit
- (continents) continente; Africa, America (America meridionale, America settentrionale), Antartide, Asia, Europa, Oceania (Category: it:Continents)
Anagrams edit
Latin edit
Etymology edit
Feminine of āfricus/Āfricus, as a noun elliptic of terra āfrica/Āfrica (literally “the land of the Afri”). The adjective Āfricus comes from the name of the Āfrī (singular Āfer), a tribal people of the area near Carthage, by addition of the suffix -icus.
The Latin term formed alongside Greek ἡ Ἀφρική (hē Aphrikḗ), both terms being attested since the first century.
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈaː.fri.ka/, [ˈäːfrɪkä]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈa.fri.ka/, [ˈäːfrikä]
Proper noun edit
Āfrica f sg (genitive Āfricae); first declension
- Northwestern Africa, the territory of Carthage, the African coast west of the Nile
- Nilus Africam ab Aethiopiā dispescens (Pliny 5, 9, 10, § 53)
- Africa (a province of the Roman Empire) (later split into Africa Zeugitana and Africa Byzacena under Diocletian)
- Africa as a continent, 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 edit
First-declension noun, singular only.
| Case | Singular |
|---|---|
| Nominative | Āfrica |
| Genitive | Āfricae |
| Dative | Āfricae |
| Accusative | Āfricam |
| Ablative | Āfricā |
| Vocative | Āfrica |
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- "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 edit
Etymology edit
Proper noun edit
Africa f
- Africa (a continent)
Related terms edit
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Africa f
- Africa (a continent)
Declension edit
declension of Africa (singular only)
See also edit
- (continents) continent; Africa, America (America de Nord, America de Sud), Antarctica, Asia, Europa, Oceania (Category: ro:Continents)