Zanata
/zəˈnɑːtə/noun
A historical Berber tribal confederation of North Africa, also known as the Zenata.
Did you know?The Zanata produced influential dynasties, including the Marinids of Morocco and the Zayyanids of Tlemcen, but scholars still debate the name’s original Berber meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity–Early Middle Ages
Berber
Iznaten
“A reconstructed or reported Berber form associated with the Zanata; its internal meaning is uncertain.”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
Zanāta
“The Arabic ethnonym used for the Berber confederation.”
11th–13th Century
Medieval Arabic
Zanāta
“A major Berber tribal grouping active across the Maghreb and the western Sahara.”
13th–15th Century
Medieval Latin
Zenati
“Latinized forms referring to the Zenata or their people appear in historical and geographic writing.”
Modern English
English
Zanata
“An English historical name for the Berber confederation, often alternatively spelled Zenata.”