Etymology of Africa
Many people think that the continent name ‘Africa’ comes from Ifriqia, the old name of Tunisia which also means ‘The separator’, because it separates the orient from the Magreb. However, Romans used to call Tunisia ‘Africa’ too; so what’s wrong?
Something is sure, is that the name is “Tunisian”, but it’s not Arabic. Here’s the Wikipedia’s theory:
The Afri were a tribe — possibly Berber — who dwelt in North Africa in the Carthage area. The origin of Afer may be connected with Phoenician `afar, dust (also found in most other Semitic languages). Some other etymologies that have been postulated for the ancient name ‘Africa’ that are much more debatable include:
- the Latin word aprica, meaning “sunny”;
- the Greek word aphrike, meaning “without cold” (see also List of traditional Greek place names). The historian Leo Africanus (1495-1554) attributed the origin to the Greek word phrike (meaning “cold and horror”), combined with the negating prefix a-, so meaning a land free of cold and horror. However, the change of sound from ph to f in Greek is datable to about the Xth century, so this is unlikely to be the origin.
March 29th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
Thank you for this interesting piece of information. The romans too glorified the name Africa.
http://thysdrus.blogspot.com/2005/02/goddess-africa.html#comments
http://thysdrus.blogspot.com/2005/02/house-of-africa.html#comments
March 30th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
The doubt started when I learned about Avstralopithecvs Africanvs, Scipio (major et minor) Africanvs, and Leo Africanvs many centuries later.
By the way, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major was the defeater of Hannibal
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:32 pm
[…] Swobodin writes about the name of Africa, which comes from Ifriqia, the old name of Tunisia, which also means ‘The Seperator’. He states that even the Romans used to call Tunisia ‘Africa’ and goes on to explain where the name came from. […]
April 28th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
It is ridiculous to suggest that the name africa originated with african north of the sahara or within the continent for that matter.The various civilizations had no concepts of a continent in this dispensation.
The etymology of the word is greek ‘afronos'’ meaning uncouph,unlettered and stupid.I am inclined to believe this source in view of the other descirptions of the continent as the dark continent,third world etc.You will be naive to believe otherwise.
suffice I to say that it is equally not coincidental that there areonly two races who are defined solely by color-white and black and neither of which is accurate/.caucasians(originated from caucauses mountain and may be described as beige or black to be academically honest and sub-saharan african are not really black/
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
There is duplicitous motive for intention in trying to make us believe that africa’s name had its origins in Africa.After all Tunisians do not recognize themselves as African.
The connotations that characterize this beloved continent and people of ours such as the dark continent, under-developed world, poverty stricken Africa and the negative propaganda of the western media to re-emphasize and confirm the prejudice is clear for all to see.
The 5th century BC conquest of Alexander the Great and his expansion policy of Hellinisation had its repercursions on what’s now africa/
There several names attributable to the continent eg, Abbysynia,ethiopia.cyrene, egypt, nubia, mizraim ,niger ,sahara but the correlation with Ifriqia is duplicitous and non-consequential.
The name etymology of the word reverberates the prejudice once held and continues to inform the behavior of white people ,no caucasians.It is not surprising to learn that despite the discovery of the advanced black olmec civilization in mexico,its truth has been suppressed.
DONT TRUST THEM
They plundered the continent of it;s human resources through the holocaust of slavery and the thievery of its resources.
I am not cynical but judging from the character of what these people have accomplished in the abuse they meted out to the so-called people.
It is not coincidental that the various language sin Ghana refer to caucasians as con people.’Oburoni’ etymology( aburo -con) ‘ni’ person.TWI - GA Langaue etymology-’abulo’ con ‘nyo’ person: Eve langauge YEHVU etymology ‘ayeh’ tricky or con ‘avu’ dog
You may notice that I am referring to African,Ghanaian forms of communications as languages and not dialects as they derogate .
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
There is duplicitous motive for intention in trying to make us believe that africa’s name had its origins in Africa.After all Tunisians do not recognize themselves as African.
The connotations that characterize this beloved continent and people of ours such as the dark continent, under-developed world, poverty stricken Africa and the negative propaganda of the western media to re-emphasize and confirm the prejudice is clear for all to see.
The 5th century BC conquest of Alexander the Great and his expansion policy of Hellinisation had its repercursions on what’s now africa/
There are several names attributable to the continent eg, Abbysynia,ethiopia.cyrene, egypt, nubia, mizraim ,niger ,sahara but the correlation with Ifriqia is duplicitous and non-consequential.
The name etymology of the word reverberates the prejudice once held and continues to inform the behavior of white people ,no caucasians.It is not surprising to learn that despite the discovery of the advanced black olmec civilization in mexico,its truth has been suppressed.
DONT TRUST THEM
They plundered the continent of it;s human resources through the holocaust of slavery and the thievery of its resources.
I am not cynical but judging from the character of what these people have accomplished in the abuse they meted out to the so-called people.
It is not coincidental that the various language sin Ghana refer to caucasians as con people.’Oburoni’ etymology( aburo -con) ‘ni’ person.TWI - GA Langaue etymology-’abulo’ con ‘nyo’ person: Eve langauge YEHVU etymology ‘ayeh’ tricky or con ‘avu’ dog
You may notice that I am referring to African,Ghanaian forms of communications as languages and not dialects as they derogate .
December 4th, 2008 at 4:56 am
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July 21st, 2010 at 8:58 am
The doubt started when I learned about Avstralopithecvs Africanvs, Scipio (major et minor) Africanvs, and Leo Africanvs many centuries later.
By the way, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major was the defeater of Hannibal