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Glite Dictionary
Berbers

Berbers

2 7.4
A group of people in North Africa, mainly in Morocco and Algeria, who keep their own cultural traditions
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrbərz/
translation icon : beréberes
  • These Berbers are all from different tribes with different dialects.
  • Moroccan Berbers
  • Arabs and Berbers

The Vandal king takes refuge with the Berber tribes three months later.

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Examples

  • The Berbers of the Empire of the Maghreb ruled Northern Africa.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Here, many of the Berbers still live in underground homes, the best defense against the fierce summer heat.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The indigenous people are those who were Berbers, they were pre Muslim and they were not Arab.

  • And then one of the Berbers touched his shoulder and nodded toward the gate.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Berbers, who constitute one-third of Morocco's population, have a long history of subjugation and resistance.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The largest number of Berbers is found in Morocco, accounting for 40-60% of its population of 31 million (Chaker 1998:14).

    Academic text (2006)

  • Moroccans who settled in the Netherlands and Belgium, for example, are mostly Berbers from the Rif mountains, not the Arab cultural elite from Casablanca, Rabat, or Fez.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Many Berbers still maintain their traditional customs and way of life in the mountainous regions.

  • The Berbers have a rich cultural heritage, including unique music and art that reflects their history.

  • In Morocco, Berbers often speak Tamazight, a language that distinguishes them from Arab communities.

Synonyms

Amazigh
vsBerbers
9.6

A member of the Berber people of North Africa

includes descent from both ancient local groups and Arabs

Compounds

Arab-Berbers
8.0

People in North Africa whose families come from both Berber and Arab groups

Surface Forms

Berber singular
Berbers plural

Etymology

Berbers comes from an old name outsiders used, like the Greek barbaroi, a word that copied the 'bar-bar' sound foreigners thought they heard; the people themselves call their group Amazigh ('free people'). So, Berbers refers to the native people of North Africa, but many prefer the name Amazigh.