Brewer's: Happy Arabia

A mistranslation of the Latin Arabia felix, which means simply on the right hand —i.e. to the right hand of Al-Shan (Syria). It was Ptolemy who was the author of the threefold division Arabia Petraea, miscalled “Stony Arabia,” but really so called from its chief city Petra; Arabia Felix (or Yemen), the south-west coast; and as for Arabia deserta (meaning the interior) probably he referred to Nedjaz.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language