africa in general
Preserved but no longer current.
The Romans used the word sometimes as synonymous with Africa, and sometimes for the fringe containing Carthage. Libya was occupied by the Italians in 1911- 12, and by the Treaty of Ouchy (1912) the sovereignty of the province was transferred from Turkey to Italy. The Italians began its colonization, and so late as 1938 some 16,000 emigrants left Genoa for the province.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “africa in general” mean?
The Romans used the word sometimes as synonymous with Africa, and sometimes for the fringe containing Carthage. Libya was occupied by the Italians in 1911- 12, and by the Treaty of Ouchy (1912) the sovereignty of the province was transferred from Turkey to Italy. The Italians began its colonization, and so late as 1938 some 16,000 emigrants left Genoa for the province.
Is “africa in general” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.