Arabic
1 of 2noun
Ar·a·bic ˈa-rə-bik 
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 2adjective
1
: of, relating to, or constituting the language Arabic
… Arabic neologisms of the nineteenth century …
Bernard Lewis
Bernard LewisHis bibliography contains no classical Arabic texts and only a handful of dubiously transliterated recent Arabic titles … Pierre Cachia
Pierre Cachia… edited and reviewed by Arabic scholars in Paris … Edwin McDowell
Edwin McDowell2
: 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
Hank BordowitzThe Middle East meets the Wild West in this variation on Arabic hummus. Steven Raichlen
Steven RaichlenThere still exist some folk instruments in Portugal whose names indicate their Arabic origin. Alexander Buchner
Alexander Buchner
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing Arabic
Kids Definition
Arabic 1 of 2
noun
Ar·a·bic ˈer-ə-bik
: a language spoken in the Arabian Peninsula of southwestern Asia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and parts of northern Africa
Arabic
2 of 2adjective
: of or relating to the Arabian Peninsula of southwestern Asia, the Arabs, or Arabic
Medical Definition
arabic
see gum arabic