The origin of the word 'Africa' has been difficult to elucidate. It became the accepted term from Roman times onwards in the form 'Africa', replacing the originally Greek or Egyptian word 'Libya', the land of the Lebu or the Lubins in Genesis. From designating the North African coast, the word 'Africa' came to be applied to the whole continent from the end of the first century before our era.
But what was the original meaning of the name?