Afro-Asiatic

Af·ro-A·si·at·ic

(ăf′rō-ā′zhē-ăt′ĭk, -shē-, -zē-)n. A large family of languages spoken in northern Africa and southwest Asia, comprising the Semitic, Chadic, Cushitic, Berber, Omotic, and ancient Egyptian languages; formerly known as Hamito-Semitic.

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Af′ro-A′si·at′ic adj.

Afro-Asiatic

n (Languages) Also called: Semito-Hamitic a family of languages of SW Asia and N Africa, consisting of the Semitic, ancient Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and Chadic subfamilies adj (Languages) denoting, belonging to, or relating to this family of languages

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Afro-Asiatic - a large family of related languages spoken both in Asia and AfricaAfrasian, Afrasian language, Afroasiatic, Afroasiatic language, Hamito-Semiticnatural language, tongue - a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer languageChadic, Chadic language, Chad - a family of Afroasiatic tonal languages (mostly two tones) spoken in the regions west and south of Lake Chad in north central AfricaSemitic - a major branch of the Afro-Asiatic language familyHamitic, Hamitic language - a group of languages in northern Africa related to SemiticEgyptian - the ancient and now extinct language of Egypt under the Pharaohs; written records date back to 3000 BCBerber - a cluster of related dialects that were once the major language of northern Africa west of Egypt; now spoken mostly in MoroccoCushitic - a group of languages spoken in Ethiopia and Somalia and northwestern Kenya and adjacent regionsOmotic - a group of related languages spoken in a valley of southern Ethiopia; closely related to Cushitic languages