Mauritanian
/ˌmɔːrɪˈteɪniən/noun
Of or relating to Mauritania, a country in northwest Africa, or its people.
Did you know?Mauritanian ultimately comes from the Roman name Mauretania, which referred to the territory of the Mauri, a North African people whose name likely meant something like “western” or “dwellers of the west.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Rome
Latin
Mauretania
“A Roman province in North Africa, named for the Mauri people.”
Ancient Rome
Latin
Mauri
“The name of a North African people.”
Proto-Berber?
Unknown
*mawri / *mauri
“A proposed ancestral ethnic name, likely connected to a word meaning “west” or “dark” in a North African language, though the exact origin is uncertain.”
Late Latin / Medieval
Latin
Mauritanianus
“Pertaining to Mauretania.”
Modern English
English
Mauritanian
“Of or relating to Mauritania or its people.”
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