Arabic

1 of 2

noun

Ar·​a·​bic ˈa-rə-bik 

ˈer-ə-

: a Semitic language originally of the Arabs of the Hejaz and Nejd that is now the prevailing speech of a wide region of southwestern Asia and northern Africa

Arabic

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or constituting the language Arabic

… Arabic neologisms of the nineteenth century …

—Bernard Lewis

His bibliography contains no classical Arabic texts and only a handful of dubiously transliterated recent Arabic titles …

—Pierre Cachia

… edited and reviewed by Arabic scholars in Paris …

—Edwin McDowell

2

: expressed in or utilizing Arabic numerals

21 is an Arabic number.

Arabic notation

3

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Arabia or the Arabs

As Arabic music permeates various other sounds, so are western sounds finding their way into various Arabic musics.

—Hank Bordowitz

The Middle East meets the Wild West in this variation on Arabic hummus.

—Steven Raichlen

There still exist some folk instruments in Portugal whose names indicate their Arabic origin.

—Alexander Buchner

Examples of Arabic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Barnea, who speaks Arabic, proved adept at running agents in and around the PLO and other organizations. —Yossi Melman, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2025

There’s the Afro-Asiatic family of languages spoken in northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of Western Asia, including Egyptian and Somali, plus Semitic languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. —Martha Barnette august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025

Adjective

These scenes brought the father of two to tears on camera recently, but Israel's Arabic military spokesman released his own video after, accusing him of pretending to be pained and promoting Hamas propaganda. —Aya Batrawy, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025

Among them was prominent Arabic correspondent and frontline news reporter Anas al-Sharif, who — alongside Bisan Owda — received Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender Award in December of last year. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Arabic

• Arabic alphabet
• Arabic numeral
• Hindu-Arabic

Kids Definition

Arabic

1 of 2 adjective

Ar·​a·​bic ˈar-ə-bik 

1

: arabian, arab

2

: expressed in or making use of Arabic numerals

Arabic

2 of 2 noun

: a Semitic language that is the chief language of a wide region of southwestern Asia and northern Africa

Medical Definition

arabic

see gum arabic