Safi
/ˈsɑːfi/noun
Safi is a port city on Morocco’s Atlantic coast and an established place name in English.
Did you know?Although Safi resembles the Arabic personal name Ṣāfī, meaning “pure,” the city’s own name is generally treated as having an uncertain, possibly Berber origin rather than being directly derived from that adjective.
Etymological Timeline
Antiquity
Berber
Asfi
“An early form associated with the settlement; its precise meaning is uncertain, though a connection with Berber asif, “river” or “flood,” has been proposed.”
Classical period
Latin
Safi
“A coastal settlement on the Atlantic edge of northwest Africa, recorded through ancient geographic traditions.”
Medieval period
Arabic
آسفي (Asfī)
“The Arabic form of the city’s name, used for the Moroccan Atlantic port.”
15th–16th Century
Portuguese
Safim
“The Portuguese form used while Portugal controlled the city.”
Modern English
English
Safi
“The standard English spelling for the Moroccan city and port.”
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