🇺🇸
/ˈæfɡən/
🇺🇸
/ˈæfɡən/
🇬🇧
/ˈæfɡən/
🇬🇧
/ˈæfɡən/
Plural
Afghans
Afghan is both a noun meaning a person from Afghanistan (or, historically, a member of the Pashtun ethnic group) and an adjective describing things related to Afghanistan — like its people, culture, food, or crafts. For example, an 'Afghan blanket' isn’t from Afghanistan but got its name because its intricate crochet pattern resembles traditional Afghan textiles.
She is an Afghan who moved to Canada as a child.
The museum displayed a beautifully woven Afghan rug from the 19th century.
Afghan cuisine often features lamb, saffron, and fresh herbs like coriander and mint.
The Afghan hound is known for its elegant appearance and independent temperament.
Many Afghan families have preserved their language and traditions across generations in diaspora communities.
Afghan
Comes from the Persian endonym 'Afghān', historically referring to the Pashtun people and later generalized to denote nationals of Afghanistan. The term entered English via Urdu and Persian in the 18th century. It is an ethnonym and toponym with no productive Indo-European or classical root; it is considered a lexical root in its own right, not analyzable into smaller meaningful morphemes in English. Examples include Afghan, Afghani (currency), Afghanistan, Afghan hound.