LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · femininefirst declension

Āfrica

Āfrica f sg (genitive Āfricae)
Classical[ˈaː.frɪ.ka]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.fri.ka]

Meaning

  1. the territory of Carthage, the African coast west of Cyrenaica
    Nilus Africam ab Aethiopiā dispescens (Pliny 5, 9, 10, § 53)
  2. Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya)
  3. Africa (the continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans) (understood as the quarter of the globe south of the Mediterranean)
    Si probare possemus Ligarium in Āfricā omnino non fuisse.If we could prove that Ligarius was not at all in Africa.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeĀfrica—
genitiveĀfricae—
dativeĀfricae—
accusativeĀfricam—
ablativeĀfricā—
vocativeĀfrica—

Afrĭca, ae, f. the Romans received this name from the Carthaginians as designating their country, and in this sense only the Gr. ἡ Ἀφρική occurs.
I. In a restricted sense, designated by the Greeks ἡ Λιβύη, Libya, the territory of Carthage: Nilus Africam ab Aethiopiā dispescens, Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 53; 5, 4, 3: regio, quae sequitur a promontorio Metagonio ad aras Philaenorum, proprie nomen Africae usurpat, Mel. 1, 7; cf. Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, and id. Lig. 7.—
II. In an extended sense, the whole of that quarter of the globe south of the Mediterranean Sea, Mel. 1, 4.—By meton. for its inhabitants: Africa, quae procul a mari incultius agebat, Sall. J. 89, 7 (cf. id. ib. 19, 5: alios incultius vagos agitare).—Hence,
1. Afrĭcānus, a, um, adj., pertaining to Africa, African: bellum Africanum, the war of Cœsar with the partisans of Pompey in Africa, Cic. Deiot. 9: rumores, of the African war, id. ib.: causa, id. Fam. 6, 13: possessiones, in Africa, Nep. Att. 12: gallina, a guinea-hen, Varr. R. R. 3, 9; cf. Plin. 10, 26, 38, § 74.—Subst.: Afrĭcānae, ārum, sc. ferae, panthers, Liv. 44, 18; so Plin. 8, 17, 24, § 64; Plin. Ep. 6, 34; Suet. Cat. 18; id. Claud. 21 al.—Esp., Afrĭcā-nus, surname of the two most distinguished Scipios.
A. Of P. Cornelius Scipio major, who defeated Hannibal at Zama (201 B. C.). —
B. Of his grandson by adoption, P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus minor, who conducted the third Punic war, destroyed Carthage (146 B.C.), and subjected the whole Carthaginian territory to the Romans.—
2. Afrĭcus, a, um, adj., African (mostly poet. for the prose Africanus): terra, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 42, 167; so Liv. 29, 23 fin.: bella, Sil. 17, 11: Vicus, a place in Rome, on the Esquiline Hill, where the Carthaginian hostages were held in custody, Varr. R. R. 5, 32, 44.—But esp. freq., Afrĭcus ventus, or subst.: Afrĭcus, i, m., the south-west wind, Gr. λίψ, blowing between Auster and Favonius (λιβόνοτος and ζέφυρος), opp. Vulturnus (καικίας), now called, among the Italians, Affrico or gherbino; cf. Plin. 2, 47, 46, § 119, and Sen. Q. N. 5, 16: creberque procellis Africus, Verg. A. 1, 86: praeceps, Hor. C. 1, 3, 12: luctans, id. ib. 1, 1, 15: pestilens, id. ib. 3, 23, 5: protervus, id. Epod. 16, 22.—Adj.: procellae, the waves or storms caused by the Africus, Hor. C. 3, 29, 57.—In Propert., Africus, as the god of this wind, is called pater, 5, 3, 48, but Müll. here reads Aetheris.

Origins

Ellipsis of terra āfrica f (“African land”), where it is the feminine of the adjective āfricus, from Āfrī (“a tribal people of the area near Carthage”) + -icus (suffix forming adjectives). The Latin term formed alongside Ancient Greek Ἀφρική (Aphrikḗ), both terms being attested since the first century.

Descendants
  • EnglishAfrica
  • ItalianAfrica
  • FrenchAfriquefrom Old French Affrique
  • PortugueseÁfricafrom Old Galician-Portuguese África
  • RomanianAfrica
  • CorsicanAfrica
  • Chinese阿非利加from English Africa
  • PohnpeianAprikafrom English Africa
  • SwahiliAfrikafrom English Africa
  • NormanAfriquefrom Old French Affrique

In English words that came into English from Āfrica

  • AfricaĀfrica

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyAfricaAfrica (Ἀφρική: Adj. Afer, Adj. Africus, Adj. Africanus), the name by which the quarter of the world still called Africa was known to the Romans, who …

Quick answers

What does Āfrica mean in Latin?
Āfrica, a proper noun, means “the territory of Carthage, the African coast west of Cyrenaica; Africa (a former province of the Roman Empire, containing what is now Tunisia and portions of coastal Algeria and Libya); Africa (the continent south of Eur”.
What is the genitive of Āfrica?
The genitive singular is Āfricae. Āfrica is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce Āfrica?
In classical Latin, [ˈaː.frɪ.ka]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaː.fri.ka].