Ashura
/ˌæʃʊˈrɑː/noun
A day of observance in Islam, especially the 10th day of Muharram, marked by fasting and, in some traditions, mourning.
Did you know?Its name comes from Arabic ʿāshūrāʾ, ultimately tied to the number ten, and the day became especially powerful in Shiʿa tradition as a remembrance of Husayn ibn Ali.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PSem
*ʕašr-
“the number ten”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ʿāshūrāʾ
“the tenth day of a month, especially the 10th of Muharram”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
ʿĀshūrāʾ
“the observed day of the month of Muharram”
Modern English
English
Ashura
“the Islamic observance on the 10th day of Muharram”