Riffian

9.9

A person from the Rif region of northern Morocco who is part of the Berber people

noun

: rifiano

As a Riffian, he felt a strong connection to his ancestral land in the Rif mountains.

Examples

This act of barbarous criminality appears perpetrated by Mulay El-Raisuli Sherif of the Riffian Berbers and the last of the Barbary pirates.

The Wind and the Lion (1975)
The Riffians found me.

The Wind and the Lion (1975)
Sherif of the Riffian Berbers.

The Wind and the Lion (1975)
The festival celebrated the cultural heritage of the Riffian people.
Many Riffians are known for their traditional music and dance.

Synonyms

Berber

vsRiffian

3 7.2

A person from the native peoples of North Africa, especially Morocco and Algeria

is from a single subgroup living in the Rif region of northern Morocco

Surface Forms

Riffian singular

Riffians plural

Morphology

Riffian = Rif (transparent) = Rif + ian

Productive demonym formation from the place name 'Rif' plus the suffix '-ian', meaning 'person from Rif'.

Etymology

Riffian comes from the name of the Rif region in northern Morocco. It means 'a person from the Rif', a member of the local Berber people who live in those mountains and towns, so a Riffian is someone from and connected to that place and its culture.