Arabs
|Ar-abs|
/ˈærəbz/
(Arab)
People of the Arabian Peninsula
Etymology
'Arab' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'ʿarab' (عرب), where the Semitic root ʿ-r-b referred to people of the Arabian Peninsula (often 'desert-dweller' or 'nomad').
'Arab' passed into Greek as 'Arabes' and Latin as 'Arabes/Arabi', then into Old French as 'Arabe' and Middle English as 'Arab', eventually becoming the modern English word 'Arab'.
Initially it referred more narrowly to nomadic or desert-dwelling peoples of the Arabian Peninsula; over time it broadened to denote a wider ethnic, linguistic, and cultural group associated with the Arabic language and the Arab world.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'Arab': people who identify as ethnically Arab or who speak Arabic as a primary language; members of Arab peoples across the Arab world.
Arabs live in many countries across North Africa and the Middle East.
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Noun 2
people who are citizens or inhabitants of countries in the Arab world (often used collectively to refer to populations sharing cultural, historical, or linguistic ties).
Diplomats met with several prominent Arabs to discuss regional cooperation.
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Last updated: 2025/12/31 11:08