Etymology tree
Latin Āfer
Proto-Indo-European *-ikos
Proto-Italic *-ikos
Latin -icus
Latin āfricus
Latin āfrica
Latin Āfricabor.
Old French Affriquebor.
Middle English Affrike
English Africa
Inherited from Middle English Affrike, from Old French Affrique, Affrike, from Latin Āfrica, from Āfrī, singular Āfer (inhabitant of the country of Carthage), in turn either from:
* The Punic or Phoenician word 𐤏𐤐𐤓 (ʿpr /ʿafar/, “dust”), from Proto-Semitic *ʕapar- (“dust, soil”), which has cognates in other Semitic languages.
* The Berber word ifri (“cave”), plural ifran, in reference to cave dwellers of Tunisia (see Tataouine).
Folk etymologies include:
* Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + φρίκη f (phríkē), meaning "without cold"
* Latin aprica (“sunny”).
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica.
the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa
As Russia’s foothold in Africa expands – notably in the mineral-rich Sahel region that is beset by recurring coups, armed rebellion and extremist insurgency – anti-Western sentiments, partly fueled by Russian propaganda, are engineering the exit of Western troops from swathes of territory. 2025 January 18, Nimi Princewill, “Across Africa, Russia is growing in influence. What might Moscow want?”, in CNN:
(countable, nonstandard, proscribed, uncountable) Sub-Saharan Africa, contrasted with the Maghreb.
The Sahara stood as an important marker between the Maghreb and Africa, not only in modern times but in times immemorial. 2021 June 10, Abdelmajid Hannoum, The Invention of the Maghreb: Between Africa and the Middle East, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 205:
(countable, historical, uncountable) A former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia, northeastern Algeria and portions of coastal Libya; existing from 146 BC (initially in the Roman Republic) through 698 AD, except for 439 through 534 AD, when it was occupied by the Vandals.
(countable, uncountable) A surname.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
Africas
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Affrike
alternative, archaic
lexicographic
Afric
alternative, archaic, poetic
lexicographic
Afrika
alternative, sometimes, used in African-American Vernacular
bo ཨ་ཧྥེ་རི་ཁ (continent) · io Afrika (continent) · mr आफ्रिका (continent) · aii ܐܲܦܪܝܼܩܵܐ (continent) · fro Affrique (continent) · pag Afrika (continent) · ja アフリカ (continent) · te ఆఫ్రికా (continent) · af Afrika (continent) · ak Afrika (continent) · gd Afraga (continent) · yo Áfíríkà (continent) · hi अफ़्रीका (continent) · nb Afrika (continent) · ar أَفْرِيقِيَا (continent) · tr Afrika (continent) · jv Afrika (continent) · ur اَفْرِیقَہ (continent) · vai ꕉꔱꔸꕪ (continent) · cy (yr) Affrica (continent) · gl África (continent) · kg Afrika (continent) · ur اَفْرِیقا (continent) · ps افريقا (continent) · tzm ⵜⴰⴼⴻⵔⴽⴰ (continent) · lv Āfrika (continent) · mg Afrika (continent) · uz Afrika (continent) · ang Affrica (continent) · ks اَفریٖقہ (continent) · mga Afraicc (continent) · hu Afrika (continent) · km អាហ្វ្រិក (continent) · ml ആഫ്രിക്ക (continent) · ht Afrik (continent) · sq Afrikë (continent) · nso Afrika (continent) · ba Африка (continent) · mt Afrika (continent) · vec Africa (continent) · kg Katiopa (continent) · az Afrika (continent) · it Africa (continent) · fa-cls آفْرِیقَا (continent) · ms Afrika (continent) · th แอฟริกา (continent) · lo ອາຟຣິກກາ (continent) · am አፍሪካ (continent) · vo Filop (continent) · pon Aprika (continent) · ne अफ्रिका (continent) · ig Eluàlà (continent) · chr ᎬᎿᎨᏍᏛ (continent) · xal Априк (continent) · br Afrika (continent) · os Африкӕ (continent) · din Apirïka (continent) · yo Ilẹ̀ Adúláwọ̀ (continent) · kaa Afrika (continent) · tt Африка (continent) · ti ኣፍሪቃ (continent) · ts Afrika (continent) · vo Fikop (continent) · hy Աֆրիկա (continent) · lo ອາຝະລິກາ (continent) · fi Afrikka (continent) · cdo 非洲 (continent) · de Afrika (continent) · st Afrika (continent) · srn Afrika (continent) · he אַפְרִיקָה (continent) · sv Afrika (continent) · eu Afrika (continent) · ar إِفْرِيقِيَا (continent) · ady Африкэ (continent) · grc Λιβύη (continent) · bn আফ্রিকা (continent) · dz ཨཕ་རི་ཀ (continent) · pih Afreka (continent) · vi Phi Châu (continent) · ru А́фрика (continent) · tn Aforika (continent) · gu આફ્રિકા (continent) · el Αφρική (continent) · bar Afrika (continent) · is Afríka (continent) · wa Afrike (continent) · pl Afryka (continent) · cu Афріка (continent) · yi אַפֿריקע (continent) · fr Afrique (continent) · war Aprika (continent) · ro Africa (continent) · or ଆଫ୍ରିକା (continent) · kl Afrika (continent) · za Feihcouh (continent) · fo Afrika (continent) · ve Afurika (continent) · dsb Afrika (continent) · eo Afriko (continent) · izh Afrikka (continent) · pt África (continent) · cs Afrika (continent) · da Afrika (continent) · ug ئافرىقا (continent) · pdt Afrika (nds) (continent) · zza Afrika (diq) (continent) · yue 非洲 (continent) · dv އެފްރިކާ (continent) · my အာဖရိက (continent) · sq Afrika (continent) · grc Ἀφρική (continent) · et Aafrika (continent) · fur Afriche (continent) · sa कुशद्वीप (continent) · pap Afrika (continent) · wo Afrig (continent) · nl Afrika (continent) · lo ອາຟຣິກ (continent) · sd آفريڪا (continent) · kk Африка (continent) · mos Afriki (continent) · xh i-Afrika (continent) · haw ʻApelika (continent) · nv Naakaii Łizhiní Bikéyah (continent) · khb ᦵᦝᧀᧈᦵᦋᦲᧁᧈ (continent) · fi Africa (historical: province of the Roman Empire) · zu i-Afrika (continent) · lt Afrika (continent) · ce Африк (continent) · crh Afrika (continent) · brh Afríká (continent) · cmn 非洲 (continent) · tg Африқо (continent) · ce Африка (continent) · mfe Lafrik (continent) · ha Afirka (continent) · so Afrika (continent) · uk А́фрика (continent) · wuu 非洲 (continent) · kg Afelika (continent) · sw Afrika (continent) · ja 阿弗利加 (continent) · co Africa (continent) · mn ᠠᠹᠷᠢᠺᠠ (continent) · vi Phi (continent) · szl Afrika (continent) · ny Afirika (continent) · tzm ⵜⴰⴼⵔⵉⵇⵜ (continent) · bew Aprika (continent) · su Afrika (continent) · si අප්රිකාව (continent) · mr आफ्रिका (historical: province of the Roman Empire) · ace Afrika (continent) · kw Afrika (continent) · lad Afrika (continent) · am አፍሪቃ (continent) · ca Àfrica (continent) · ln Afríka (continent) · fro Affrike (continent) · wal Afrikkaa (continent) · mi Āwherika (continent) · vo Frikop (continent) · prs آفْرِیقَا (continent) · vep Afrik (continent) · sga Afraicc (continent) · nan-hbl 非洲 (continent) · vi Châu Phi (continent) · sh Àfrika (continent) · ka აფრიკა (continent) · kmr Efrîqa (continent) · kn ಆಫ್ರಿಕಾ (continent) · bg А́фрика (continent) · hsb Afrika (continent) · sh А̀фрика (continent) · lo ອາຟະລິກ (continent) · rw Afurika (continent) · csb Afrika (continent) · be А́фрыка (continent) · fy Afrika (continent) · ko 아프리카 (continent) · vro Afriga (continent) · sl Áfrika (continent) · sc Afrika (continent) · la Libya (continent) · cu Ⰰⱇⱃⰻⰽⰰ (continent) · fa-ira آفْریقا (continent) · rue А́фрика (continent) · bm Afrika (continent) · se Afrihkká (continent) · tk Afrika (continent) · kab Tafrikt (continent) · nn Afrika (continent) · sk Afrika (continent) · ky Африка (continent) · cmn 阿非利加 (continent) · gv Yn Affrick (continent) · la Āfrica (continent) · pa ਅਫ਼ਰੀਕਾ (continent) · nr Afrika (continent) · ss Afrika (continent) · es África (continent) · tl Aprika (continent) · mk Африка (continent) · mn Африк (continent) · acw أفريقيا (continent) · lo ອາຟຣິກາ (continent) · ta ஆப்பிரிக்கா (continent) · ast África (continent) · hak 非洲 (continent) · ga an Afraic (continent) · oc Africa (continent)