Dahab
/ˈdɑː.hæb/noun
A transliteration of Arabic ذهب (dhahab), meaning gold, and the name of a town on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Did you know?Dahab is cognate with Hebrew זָהָב (zahav), the word for gold found in the Hebrew Bible, linking two ancient languages through one precious-metal term.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḏahab-
“A reconstructed Semitic term for gold; the exact prehistoric form is inferred from related daughter languages.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
זָהָב (zahav)
“Gold, including gold used for ritual objects, ornaments, and wealth.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ذَهَب (dhahab)
“Gold; the standard Arabic word for the precious metal.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
دهب (Dahab)
“The name associated with the Sinai settlement later known in English as Dahab; the place-name is commonly connected with the Arabic word for gold.”
Modern English
English
Dahab
“An English geographic proper noun for the Egyptian town, and occasionally a transliterated Arabic word meaning gold.”