The word Berber originally denoted a barbarian character in Arabic and English

Evidence

Imazighen are more commonly known as Berbers, a term that in both Arabic and English denotes a barbarian character. See R. A. Skelton, Explorer’s Maps (West Sussex, UK: Littlehampton Book Services, 1970) for maps depicting the regions where barbarians could be found, including North Africa. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 778

Categorization

• DEFINE: The etymology of ‘Berber’ from ‘barbarian’ shows how European maps literally labeled whole regions as the domain of barbarians, slotting into the manufactured-monster narrative.