araber.

Borrowed from German Araber (“Arab”), after Latin Arabs (“Arab”), plural Arabes, from Ancient Greek Ἄραψ (Áraps, “Arab”), Ἄραβος (Árabos), plural Ἄραβες (Árabes), ultimately from Arabic عَرَب (ʿarab, “Arabs”). The ending was reinforced by -er (“person-forming suffix”). The sense “person from Haugesund” is an old sailors' nickname of uncertain origin. The best-known explanation is a legend about a sailor from Haugesund who, after losing his clothes in a Middle Eastern port, returned to his ship dressed in local clothing and supposedly protested: “Eg e ’kje araber. Eg e fra Haugesund!” (“I’m not an Arab. I’m from Haugesund!”). Another explanation connects the nickname with the guttural R of the Haugesund dialect and other Southwestern Norwegian dialects. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk arabar and Danish araber (“Arab”).