Meanings
plural Mozarabs
- An Iberian Christian living under Arab domination.
The Mozarabs were bilingual in Romance and Arabic and lived along the border area (north of the border to be precise) between Christian Iberia and Al-Andalus. This particular community sought to remain bilingual because it derived its identity from being both Arab-like and Christian.
2011, Yasmine Beale-Rivaya, American Speech, vol. 86, no. 4, Maintaining a Language of Culture: Outcomes of Medieval Iberian Shift as a Predictor for Spanish in the American Southwest, p. 417
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Arabicمُسْتَعْرِب
- Spanishmozárabe
- EnglishMozarab
From Spanish mozárabe, from Arabic مُسْتَعْرِب (mustaʕrib).
More words from Spanish, Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan mossàrab
- mossàrabArabic-speaking Iberian Christian
Italian mozarabo
- mozaraboArabic-speaking Iberian Christian
Portuguese moçárabe
- moçárabeArabic-speaking Iberian Christian
Russian мозараб
- мозараб (mozarab)Arabic-speaking Iberian Christian
Spanish mozárabe
- mozárabeArabic-speaking Iberian Christian
Cite this entry
Mozarab. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mozarab
“Mozarab.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mozarab. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mozarab,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mozarab.
Source: Mozarab on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.