'afro' originates from 'African', specifically the word 'Afro-American', where 'Afro-' referred to 'African'.

'Afro-American' transformed into the shortened form 'afro', and eventually became the modern English word 'afro' to describe the hairstyle.

Initially, it referred to 'African-American', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of a specific hairstyle.