Etymology
Ifran is a plural for Afar, Efri or Ifri; it is probably derived from the last of these, which means "cave" in Berber. Other possibilities are that their name is derived from one of the major gods of the pagan Berbers, Ifrou, or that the name is derived from the region of Yifran in present day north-west Libya where they may have originated.
The name of the Ifran tribe has many alternative spellings, such as Ifuraces or Afar in Latin, or Ifrinidi, Iforen, Fren, Wafren, Yefren, Yafren, or Yafran, but all of the names mean simply "The Sons of Ifri". The banu- was added by the Arab writers, who called them "ben ifren" or "Ifrinid".
Read more about this topic: Banu Ifran
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“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
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