African
/ˈæf.rɪ.kən/noun
Of or relating to Africa or its peoples.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from a Roman term for the region around Carthage, and scholars still debate whether it may trace back to a local word meaning something like “dust” or “cave-dwellers.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Rome
Latin
Africus / Africa
“A Roman name for the land around Carthage and later the wider region”
Late Latin
Latin
Africānus
“Of Africa; African”
Old French
French
Africain
“African”
14th–15th Century
English
African
“A person from Africa; relating to Africa”
Modern English
English
African
“Of or relating to Africa or its peoples”