Berber
//ˈbɝ.bɚ// adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of a particular ethnic group indigenous to northwest Africa.
- 2 a cluster of related dialects that were once the major language of northern Africa west of Egypt; now spoken mostly in Morocco wordnet
- 3 A kind of traditional rug manufactured by the Berber people.
"Berbers are the best example of looped carpet […]"
- 4 a member of an indigenous people of northern Africa wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of the Berber people, their culture, or their language. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 A group of closely related Afroasiatic languages spoken in northern Africa, particularly Morocco and Algeria.
Example
More examples"I am decorating my room with Berber symbols."
Etymology
From Arabic بَرْبَرِيّ (barbariyy, “Berber”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “non-Greek, foreign, barbarian”), apparently imitative of foreign speech. Cognate of English barbarian.
Related phrases
More for "berber"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.