Kafir
/ˈkɑːfɪr/noun
A term used in Arabic and some other languages for an unbeliever, especially a non-Muslim; in many contexts it is considered offensive.
Did you know?Kafir comes from the Arabic root K-F-R, whose core sense is “to cover” or “to conceal,” and in Islamic usage it developed into “one who covers the truth,” making it a word where theology and language collide.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PS
*k-p-r
“A root related to covering, coating, or concealing.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
kafara
“To cover, conceal, or deny.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
kāfir
“One who covers or conceals; an unbeliever.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
kāfir
“A non-believer, especially in Islamic theological and legal usage.”
Modern English
English
kafir
“A term borrowed from Arabic, used for an unbeliever and often felt as insulting or offensive.”