Bahr
/bɑːr/noun
A river or sea, especially in Arabic-speaking regions.
Did you know?The word appears in Bahrain, whose name is Arabic for “the two seas,” referring traditionally to its surrounding waters and freshwater springs.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*baḥr-
“Sea or large body of water”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
baḥr
“Sea; ocean; large river”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
baḥr
“A sea, river, or figuratively a vast expanse”
7th–10th Century
Arabic geographic usage
al-baḥr
“The sea, literally “the sea” with the Arabic definite article”
19th Century
English
bahr
“A river or sea in Arabic-speaking countries”
Modern English
English
bahr
“A geographic term for a river or sea, chiefly in regional or historical contexts”