Meknassa
/məˈknæsə/noun
A historical Amazigh (Berber) tribal confederation of North Africa, also spelled Miknasa.
Did you know?The Meknassa gave their name to Meknes in Morocco, but scholars have not established a reliable literal translation for the ethnonym itself.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity
Berber
Meknassa
“Name of an Amazigh tribal confederation in North Africa; the internal meaning is uncertain.”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
Miknāsa
“Arabic rendering of the tribal name in historical and geographical writing.”
10th–11th Century
Arabic
Miknāsa
“The name of a prominent Zenata-affiliated Amazigh group recorded in the Maghreb.”
11th Century
Arabic
Miknāsa
“The tribal name became associated with the settlement that developed into Meknes.”
Medieval period
Old French
Mequinez
“European forms used for the Moroccan city of Meknes, derived through Arabic usage.”
Modern English
English
Meknassa
“A historical Amazigh tribal name, commonly treated as a variant of Miknasa.”