afghan
n. countablen. a person from Afghanistan or a person with family from that country. It can also refer to a warm, handmade blanket made of wool.
n. a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan, or a person of Afghan descent. Also refers to a woollen blanket or shawl, typically knitted or crocheted.
My grandmother knitted a colorful Afghan for the sofa.
The local community center hosted a dinner to welcome several Afghan families who recently moved to the neighborhood.
While the term primarily identifies a citizen of Afghanistan, in textile contexts it refers to a patterned blanket whose intricate geometric designs often reflect traditional regional craftsmanship.
Borrowed from Classical Persian افغان (afġān, “Afghan”), from Bactrian αβαγανο (abagano), first attested in the fourth century CE, most likely a compound of apāka- (“distant, faraway”), from Proto-Iranian Hápa, from Proto-Indo-Iranian Hápa (“away”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂epó + -āna (“ethnic group”), from Proto-Indo-European -nós, thus: "people from a distant land". Various scholars have proposed Sanskrit etymologies since the nineteenth century (especially prior to the 2007 publication of earlier Bactrian attestations for the word), but linguist Johnny Cheung notes that these are "extremely difficult to reconcile" with recent evidence pointing to a Bactrian source.
When referring to people, it is a proper noun and must be capitalized.
He is an Afghani person.He is an Afghan person.Afghan is the noun and adjective for the people; Afghani is the unit of currency used in Afghanistan.