'arab' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'ʿarab' (عرب), where the triliteral root ʿ-r-b related to 'nomad' or 'desert people'.

'arab' passed into Medieval Latin and Old French (e.g. 'arabes', 'arabe') and was adopted into Middle English, eventually becoming the modern English form 'arab'.

Initially it often referred to nomadic desert peoples or inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula; over time it evolved to mean broadly 'a person of the Arabic-speaking world' or anything relating to Arabic language and culture.