Arab

/ˈɛrəb/

/ˈærəb/

Other forms: Arabs

An Arab is a member of a group that lives mostly in Western Asia and North Africa and speaks Arabic. You might describe your Egyptian pen pal as an Arab.

Whether someone describes himself as an Arab — rather than a Persian or Kurd, for example — has to do with his language, culture, where he lives, and his ancestors. Someone who lives in Yemen is likely to call herself an Arab, while a Moroccan might consider herself to be a Berber. It is much safer, and less likely to cause offense, to describe people by the countries they're from. In Arabic, 'arab means "inhabitant of the desert."

Definitions of Arab

1. noun

   a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
   synonyms: Arabian

   types:

   Bahraini, Bahreini

   a native or inhabitant of Bahrain

   Palestinian, Palestinian Arab

   a descendant of the Arabs who inhabited Palestine

   Omani

   a native or inhabitant of Oman

   Katari, Qatari

   a native or inhabitant of Qatar

   Saudi, Saudi Arabian

   a native or inhabitant of Saudi Arabia

   Yemeni

   a native or inhabitant of Yemen

   Bedouin, Beduin

   a member of a nomadic tribe of Arabs

   Saracen

   (when used broadly) any Arab

   type of:

   Semite

   a member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Middle East and northern Africa
2. noun

   a spirited graceful and intelligent riding horse native to Arabia
   synonyms: Arabian

   type of:

   mount, riding horse, saddle horse

   a lightweight horse kept for riding only