street arab: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Obsolete/HistoricalOffensive, Archaic, Historical
Quick answer
What does “street arab” mean?
A historical, offensive term for a homeless child, especially one living on the streets of a city.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A historical, offensive term for a homeless child, especially one living on the streets of a city.
Used historically to refer to children, often orphans or from impoverished families, who survived by begging, selling small items, or petty crime in urban areas. The term is now considered highly derogatory and archaic.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term was used in both British and American English in the 19th and early 20th centuries, often in journalistic or sociological contexts describing urban poverty. British usage may be more frequently documented in literature from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Connotations
Universally pejorative, implying neglect, vagrancy, and social otherness. The racial component ('Arab') is deeply offensive, stereotyping and disparaging both the child and Arab peoples.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary usage except when quoting historical sources or discussing the history of child poverty. Its use today would be considered highly offensive and unacceptable.
Grammar
How to Use “street arab” in a Sentence
[be/label as] a street arabVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not applicable.
Academic
Only in historical or sociological analysis of language and poverty; always flagged as offensive/archaic.
Everyday
Never used in modern everyday conversation.
Technical
Not applicable.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “street arab”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “street arab”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “street arab”
- Using the term in modern contexts.
- Assuming it is a neutral or descriptive term.
- Translating it directly into other languages without understanding its offensive nature.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is a historically offensive term and its use in contemporary language is unacceptable. It should only be encountered in direct quotation or analysis of historical texts.
It was used pejoratively, drawing on colonial and Orientalist stereotypes that incorrectly associated Arab peoples with a nomadic, rootless lifestyle, which was then applied derogatorily to homeless children.
Use neutral, descriptive terms such as 'homeless child', 'street child', or in a historical context, 'urchin' (though this too can have connotations of pity or romanticisation).
You may find it in comprehensive or historical dictionaries, but it will be clearly labelled as 'archaic', 'historical', and 'offensive' or 'derogatory'.
A historical, offensive term for a homeless child, especially one living on the streets of a city.
Street arab is usually offensive, archaic, historical in register.
Street arab: in British English it is pronounced /ˌstriːt ˈærəb/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌstriːt ˈærəb/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms use this term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A historical term you might read in a Dickens novel, now rightly recognized as a hurtful stereotype linking homelessness to a racial group.
Conceptual Metaphor
CHILD IS A NOMADIC OUTSIDER (using a racial stereotype as the source domain).
Practice
Quiz
How should a learner of English treat the term 'street arab'?