Etymograph

English

African

African comes from Latin āfricānus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEāfricānus
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāfricānae
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2007African

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEāfricānus
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāfricānae
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2007African

Earliest quotation: 2007, African Immigrant Religions in America: “Africans constitute significantly growing populations not only in major…”

Equivalent to Africa + -an

Latin Āfer ‘from Africa’

Latin āfricus ‘African’

Latin Āfrica

Old French Affrique

Middle English Affrike

English Africa

The story

Attested as a noun in early New English Aphricane, Africans (plural), Middle English as Affrican, Aufrican and Old English as Africanas (‘Africans’) (only plural). The adjective appears in the 16th century, as Affricane, Africane, African. Latin Āfricus is from Āfri (singular Āfer), the name of an ancient people of North Africa (near Carthage, in Tunisia), with the suffix -icus. āfricānus is formed by addition of the -ānus suffix.

Every English word from Latin āfricānus

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to Africa.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin āfricānus / African

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