African

1 of 2

noun

Af·​ri·​can ˈa-fri-kən 

 also  ˈä-

1

: a native or inhabitant of Africa

2

: a person and especially a Black person of African ancestry

African

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Africa or its people

Africanness

ˈa-fri-kə(n)-nəs 

noun

Examples of African in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In South Africa, high unemployment and inequality helped drive a dramatic loss of support for the African National Congress, which had governed for three decades since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule. —Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024

Commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, marking the day in 1865 when freedom was proclaimed in Texas. —David Faris, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Vodou even played a major role in the Haitian Revolution, as the West African lwa or spirit-force Ogou Feray is credited with motivating slaves in Saint-Domingue to seek their freedom. —Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024

Sure enough, two decades later scientists identified an African hawkmoth that pollinated the orchid. —Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English Aufrican, Affrican, going back to Old English Africanas (plural), borrowed from Latin Āfricānus african entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin Āfricānus, from Āfrica (short for Āfrica terra, literally, "African land," from feminine of Āfricus "of the Roman province of Africa [present-day northern Tunisia], of the continent of Africa," from Āfr-, Āfer "of Africa, inhabitant of North Africa [other than Egypt]" —of unknown origin— + -icus -ic entry 1) + -ānus -an entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing African

• African American
• African American English
• African American Language
• African American Vernacular English
• African buffalo
• African clawed frog
• African clawed toad
• African daisy
• African elephant
• African gray
• African hunting dog
• African mahogany
• African sleeping sickness
• African swine fever
• African violet
• African wild dog
• inter-African
• non-African
• South African

Kids Definition

African

noun

Af·​ri·​can

ˈaf-ri-kən

1

: a person born or living in Africa

2

: a person of African ancestry

African adjective