Arabic

1 of 2

noun

Ar·​a·​bic ˈa-rə-bik How to pronounce Arabic (audio)
ˈer-ə-
: a Semitic language originally of the Arabs of the Hejaz and Nejd that is now the prevailing speech of a wide region of southwestern Asia and northern Africa

Arabic

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or constituting the language Arabic
Arabic neologisms of the nineteenth century …Bernard Lewis
His bibliography contains no classical Arabic texts and only a handful of dubiously transliterated recent Arabic titles …Pierre Cachia
… edited and reviewed by Arabic scholars in Paris …Edwin McDowell
2
: expressed in or utilizing Arabic numerals
21 is an Arabic number.
Arabic notation
3
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Arabia or the Arabs
As Arabic music permeates various other sounds, so are western sounds finding their way into various Arabic musics.Hank Bordowitz
The Middle East meets the Wild West in this variation on Arabic hummus.Steven Raichlen
There still exist some folk instruments in Portugal whose names indicate their Arabic origin.Alexander Buchner

Examples of Arabic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Tata is the informal word for grandma in Lebanese Arabic. Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Her images capture the rising smoke of artillery fire and bolts of lights descending from air bombs during war games, barracks scrawled in faux Arabic to mimic scenes in the field, and young soldiers role-playing — some American heroes, others enemy insurgents. Dan Q. Dao, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Some of the languages recorded from the survey were Spanish, Somali and Swahili, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Creole. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024 Messages come in a rush of many voices, languages mixed seamlessly, Arabic spelled out phonetically. Jordan P. Hickey, Longreads, 22 Feb. 2024 Before the Fordson rally, Dearborn community activist Sam Luqman handed out fliers in English and Arabic that told voters not to vote for Biden and instead to vote uncommitted, write in 'Free Palestine,' or vote for another candidate. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 The agents huddled to discuss their options while Fatma held Rania’s hand and prayed with her in Arabic. Eli Saslow Erin Schaff, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Signs outside most of the stores are written in Arabic. USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 It's also encouraged to prioritize compassion, helping to increase awareness of Allah, meaning God in Arabic, and be more conscious of the poor, sick and suffering. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2024
Adjective
But a closer look revealed that Gigante was right: There were both Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions in the bronze. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 On the dial, NOMOS Glashütte sticks to its unique design language, combining Arabic and Roman numerals with sleek baton indices. Matthew Catellier, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Renowned for his consistent presence among the top spots on the weekly list of Billboard Arabia’s Artist 100, Ahmed Saad stands as one of the foremost Arabic pop stars across the Middle East. Hala Mustafa, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, as the daughter of a white mother and Arabic father, Franny embodies France’s conflicted attitudes toward Middle Eastern immigrants. Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 What sets the tightly knit community, whose mother tongue is Arabic, apart from other minority communities within Israel’s borders is their fierce national pride. Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 Crafted in an Art Deco style and decorated with Arabic numerals and a diamond bezel, the watch was transformed into an eye-catching accessory by jeweler Lorraine Schwartz. Nancy Olson, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Netflix has been expanding its offering of Arabic programming since landing, in 2021, its first Arabic original feature, an all-star adaptation of Italian box office hit Perfect Strangers. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 The new Big Time Investment fund, which will aim to germinate roughly 20 Arabic titles a year, follows the launch of the Red Sea Fund by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation, a non-profit tied to the Red Sea Film Festival that provides co-funding mainly for Arabic art movies. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Arabic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Arabic was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Arabic

Cite this Entry

“Arabic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Arabic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Arabic

1 of 2 adjective
Ar·​a·​bic ˈar-ə-bik How to pronounce Arabic (audio)
1
2
: expressed in or making use of Arabic numerals

Arabic

2 of 2 noun
: a Semitic language that is the chief language of a wide region of southwestern Asia and northern Africa

Medical Definition

arabic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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