Eurafrican

English

WOTD – 21 May 2024

Etymology

From Euro- (prefix meaning ‘pertaining to Europe’) +‎ African (adjective, noun), probably modelled after Eurasian. Compare Euroafrican, Euro-African, which are attested earlier.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /jʊ(ə)ˈɹæfɹɪk(ə)n/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /jəˈɹæfɹəkən/, /jʊ-/
  • Hyphenation: Eur‧af‧ric‧an

Adjective

Eurafrican (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to the continents of, or countries in, both Europe and Africa; having both European and African characteristics.
    Synonyms: Eurafric, Euroafrican
    • 2025, Cid Swanenvleugel, The Pre-Roman Elements of the Sardinian Lexicon, page 12:
      The Eurafrican substrate [hypothesis] is based mainly on comparisons between Sardinian, Berber and Basque, as well as on comparanda from Gallo-Romance and Insular Celtic.
  2. Of a person: of mixed European and African descent; (specifically, South Africa) synonym of colored (belonging to a multiracial ethnic group or category, having ancestry from more than one of the racial groups of Southern Africa (black, white, and Asian)).
    Synonyms: Afropean, Euroafrican
  3. (anthropology, archaic) Of a person: from the parts of Europe and North Africa surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Translations

Noun

Eurafrican (plural Eurafricans)

  1. A person of mixed European and African descent.
    Synonyms: Afropean, Euroafrican
    • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 153:
      Just how cosmopolitan the town was is clear from the fact that two different races are found buried in the graves: the dolichocephalic Eurafrican, and the brachycephalic Proto-Mediterranean.
    1. An African person with European ancestors.
    2. (South Africa) Synonym of colored (a person having ancestry from more than one of the racial groups of Southern Africa (black, white, and Asian)). [from late 19th c.]
      Synonym: Euroafrican

Translations

References

  1. ^ Compare Eurafrican, n. and adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  2. ^ Eurafrican, adj. and n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading