African

1 of 2

noun

Af·​ri·​can ˈa-fri-kən 

 also  ˈä-

1

: a native or inhabitant of Africa

2

: a person and especially a Black person of African ancestry

African

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Africa or its people

Africanness

ˈa-fri-kə(n)-nəs 

noun

Examples of African in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Pérez Art Museum Miami features exhibits that highlight African, Caribbean and Latin American art. —Andrew J. Tardif, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024

The African National Congress party lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result Saturday that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. —Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 1 June 2024

Adjective

Additionally, this hurricane season also features the potential for an above-normal west African monsoon, which can produce easterly winds that seed some of the strongest and longest-lived Atlantic storms, NOAA said. —Hunter Geisel, CBS News, 23 May 2024

In the early hours of May 20, an African lioness welcomed four cubs to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English Aufrican, Affrican, going back to Old English Africanas (plural), borrowed from Latin Āfricānus african entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin Āfricānus, from Āfrica (short for Āfrica terra, literally, "African land," from feminine of Āfricus "of the Roman province of Africa [present-day northern Tunisia], of the continent of Africa," from Āfr-, Āfer "of Africa, inhabitant of North Africa [other than Egypt]" —of unknown origin— + -icus -ic entry 1) + -ānus -an entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing African

• African American
• African American English
• African American Language
• African American Vernacular English
• African buffalo
• African clawed frog
• African clawed toad
• African daisy
• African elephant
• African gray
• African hunting dog
• African mahogany
• African sleeping sickness
• African swine fever
• African violet
• African wild dog
• inter-African
• non-African
• South African

Kids Definition

African

noun

Af·​ri·​can

ˈaf-ri-kən

1

: a person born or living in Africa

2

: a person of African ancestry

African adjective