Afro
/ˈæf.roʊ/noun
A hairstyle consisting of naturally curly or tightly waved hair worn in a rounded shape, or relating to African or African diasporic culture.
Did you know?The Afro became especially prominent during the 1960s and 1970s as rejecting chemically straightened hair could express Black cultural pride and opposition to racism.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
Āfrica
“The Roman name for the region of North Africa, later applied to the continent”
Classical Latin
Latin
Afer
“An inhabitant of Africa, especially the region around Carthage; the deeper origin is uncertain”
Middle English
English
Affrike
“Africa”
16th–19th Century
English
African
“Of or relating to Africa or its peoples”
Early 20th Century
English
Afro-American
“Relating to Black people of African descent in the United States”
1960s
English
Afro
“A shortened form associated with Afro-American identity and the rounded natural hairstyle”