Africa
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica. countable, uncountable
"the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa"
- 2 Sub-Saharan Africa, contrasted with the Maghreb. countable, nonstandard, proscribed, uncountable
"The Sahara stood as an important marker between the Maghreb and Africa, not only in modern times but in times immemorial."
- 3 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. countable, historical, uncountable
- 4 A surname. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Mali is one of the poorest countries in Subsaharan Africa."
Etymology
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”).
Related phrases
More for "africa"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.