Meaning and Origin
What does the name Africa mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
User Submitted Meanings
- According to a user from Illinois, U.S., the name Africa means "Strength and Gods Land".
- The second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From Latin Āfrica, from Āfri, singular Āfer (inhabitant of the country of Carthage), in turn either from:
- The Punic or Phoenician word ʿafar (“dust”), which has cognates in other Semitic languages.
- The Berber word ifri (“cave”), plural ifran, in reference to cave dwellers of Tunisia (see Tataouine).
- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + φρίκη (phríkē), meaning "without cold"
- Latin aprica (“sunny”).
- 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
- (historical) A province the Roman Empire containing what is now modern Tunisia and portions of Libya.
- A surname.
Africa was also found in the following language(s): Italian, Latin, Occitan, and Romanian