What does arabic mean?
"Arabic" functions both as an adjective and a noun. As an adjective, it describes anything relating to Arabia, the Arab peoples, or their language, literature, and culture — as in Arabic numerals, Arabic script, or Arabic coffee. As a noun, it names the Semitic language spoken by several hundred million people across the Middle East and North Africa, written right-to-left in its own distinctive alphabet. The word entered English through Latin "Arabicus" and Greek "Arabikos," ultimately deriving from the name "Arab." It appears in fixed expressions such as "gum arabic," a natural resin used widely in food and industry. Because it denotes both a major world language and a rich cultural sphere, "Arabic" is a high-frequency term in journalism, academia, cuisine, and everyday conversation about global affairs.
Of or relating to Arabia, the Arabs, the Arabic language, or Arabic literature and culture.
"The museum houses a remarkable collection of Arabic manuscripts."
Typically capitalized as it derives from proper nouns.
The Semitic language of the Arabs, spoken across the Middle East and North Africa and written in its own right-to-left script.
"Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations."
Very rare; the noun is almost always treated as uncountable when referring to the language. Plural forms appear only informally, e.g. referring to regional varieties.
"Linguists compare the many colloquial Arabics spoken across the region."
The numerals we call "Arabic" actually originated in India — they earned their name because European mathematicians learned them through Arabic-language texts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arabic
The word "Arabic" comes from the Latin "Arabicus," borrowed from the Greek "Arabikos," both formed from "Arab," the name for the people of Arabia. English adopted the adjective in the medieval period, when Arabic scholarship was a major channel of learning into Europe. Its most famous legacy is the term "Arabic numerals": although the digits originated in India, they were transmitted to Europe through Arabic mathematical works, fixing the name permanently in Western usage.
How arabic is actually used
As an adjective, "Arabic" is normally capitalized since it refers to a proper noun (a people and place); note that "arabic gum" is more commonly written "gum arabic." When referring to the language itself, use "Arabic," not "Arabian," which is reserved for things relating to Arabia or the Arabian Peninsula.
Easily confused with arabic
Arabic is the Semitic language of the Arabs spoken today across the Middle East and North Africa, while Aramaic is an older Semitic language historically used across the ancient Near East.