Arabic

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈærÉ™bɪk/
• US IPA: /ˈɛrÉ™bɪk/, /ˈærÉ™bɪk/

Alternative forms

• Arabick obsolete

Origin

From Latin arabicus.

Full definition of Arabic

Adjective

1. Related to the Arabic language.
• 2008, Abdallah Nacereddine, To Be Oneself: The Tragicomedy of an Unfinished Life HistoryOne day my UN students asked me, "Which is the Arabic country where the best Arabic is spoken?" I quickly replied, "Bosnia." They exclaimed, "But Bosnia is not an Arab country!"
2. Of, from, or pertaining to Arab countries or cultural behaviour (see also Arab as an adjective).
• 2012, Deborah Youdell, Intersectionality and "Race" in Education Chapter Intelligibility, agency and the raced–nationed–religioned subjects of educationWhite chalk on the fascia board above the Arabic-food stall reads "Lebanon" and "Lebs rule".

Usage notes

The adjective Arabic is commonly used in reference to language, and in traditional phrases such as Arabic numeral or gum arabic. Its use is controversial and often deprecated in reference to people or countries, where the adjective Arab is preferred.

Proper noun

1. A major Semitic language originating from the Arabian peninsula, and now spoken natively (in various spoken dialects, all sharing a single highly conservative standardized literary form) throughout large sections of the Middle East and North Africa.
2. The Aramaic-derived alphabet used to write the Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, and Uyghur languages, among others.

Derived terms

• Arabic numeral
• Arabic script
• Arabic scale
• Hispano-Arabic
• Mozarabic