Berber

UK: /ˈbɜː^rbə^r/ US: (bûr′bər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Ber•ber  (bûr′bər), n. 

1. Language Varieties a member of a group of North African tribes living in Barbary and the Sahara.
2. Language Varieties a subfamily of Afro-Asiatic, consisting of the languages of the Berbers, including Tuareg and Kabyle.

adj. 

3. Language Varieties of or pertaining to the Berbers or their language.

• Greek bárbaros; see barbarous
• Arabic barbar
• 1835–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Berber / ˈbɜːbə/ noun

1. a descendant of the pre-Islamic indigenous people of N Africa
2. the language of this people, forming a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. There are extensive differences between dialects

adjective

1. of or relating to this people or their language

USAGE
The word Berber may cause offence; the descendants of the indigenous people of North Africa prefer to be called Amazigh