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αράπη
black man /aˈrapi/
nounC1#3285 most common
Also: black person (dated/offensive), Negro (archaic), dark-skinned man
Example sentences
Έχω έναν φίλο αράπη.
I have a black friend.
Στο παραμύθι, ο αράπης φύλαγε τον πύργο.
In the fairy tale, the black man guarded the tower.
Ο παππούς μου έλεγε ιστορίες για έναν αράπη ναυτικό που είχε γνωρίσει στο λιμάνι.
My grandfather used to tell stories about a black sailor he had met at the port.
Η ιστορία αναφέρεται στη ζωή ενός αράπη σκλάβου στην Οθωμανική αυτοκρατορία.
The story refers to the life of a black slave in the Ottoman Empire.
Έλα εδώ, αράπη μου, να σε βοηθήσω!
Come here, my friend, let me help you!
Στον Καραγκιόζη, ο Αράπης είναι μια από τις πιο αμφιλεγόμενες φιγούρες, ο σκλάβος-φύλακας του πασά.
In the Karagiozis shadow theatre, the Arapis is one of the most controversial characters, the pasha's slave-guard.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο αράπης | οι αράπηδες |
| Genitive | του αράπη | των αράπηδων |
| Accusative | τον αράπη | τους αράπηδες |
| Vocative | αράπη | αράπηδες |
Word family
αράπισσαblack woman (dated/offensive)
αραπάκιlittle black child (diminutive, common in old fairy tales and lullabies)
αραπιάidiomatic: a huge swarm or crowd; archaic: land of black people
αραποσίτιmaize, corn (dialectal, literally 'Arab-wheat')
Etymology
The word comes from Ottoman Turkish Arap, which itself comes from Arabic ʿarab, meaning an Arab. Under Ottoman rule, Arap broadened in everyday speech to mean any dark-skinned person, especially black slaves and servants in Ottoman households, since many enslaved Africans arrived through Arab-controlled trade routes. Greek borrowed the word during the Ottoman period and kept this broader, darker-skinned sense, while the separate word Άραβας stayed narrowly tied to actual Arab ethnicity.
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