Arabian adj Arabian, Arab, Arabic are not
freely applicable to the same things and are,
consequently, often a source of confusion.
Arabian is used chiefly with reference to a
place, the large peninsula in southwestern Asia
which includes the modern kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. Thus, one speaks of the Arabian
peninsula, desert, kingdoms, flora, fauna,
history, intending in each case to convey a
consciousness of geographic relationship. Arab
is used chiefly with reference to a people who
still dwell in Arabia or their descendants who
are common in northern, eastern, and central
Africa, in Madagascar, India, and the Malay
Archipelago, and in some parts of Syria and
Persia. The word, therefore, often implies
characteristics or habits associated with Arabs
(as a nomadic life, equestrian skill, or Muslim
practices) <Arab customs> <Arab descent> <Arab
harems> Distinctively, an Arabian horse is a
particular horse bred in or imported from Arabia
whereas the Arab horse is the kind of horse bred
and used by Arabs; an Arabian caravan travels in
Arabia, an Arab caravan is made up of Arabs.
Arabic refers usually to a language, originally
the language of the Arabs, but now used in
several countries whose inhabitants are not
exclusively Arab in, origin (as Palestine,
Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and northern Africa) <the
Arabic language> Arabic is also applicable to a
culture associated with the use of the Arabic
language or to any manifestations of that
culture <Arabic architecture> <Arabic numerals>
Distinctively, Arab literature is the literature
of Arabs whereas Arabian literature is produced
specifically in Arabia and Arabic literature is
written in Arabic.