Fayyum
/ˈfaɪ.juːm/noun
A fertile depression and region in central Egypt surrounding Lake Qarun, southwest of Cairo.
Did you know?The Fayyum was a major center of worship for Sobek, the crocodile-headed Egyptian god associated with fertility, the Nile, and royal power.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian
pꜣ-yom
“The lake; an early Egyptian name associated with the region’s great body of water”
Hellenistic Period
Greek
Arsinoitis
“The district of Arsinoë, a name used for the Fayyum region after the Ptolemaic queen Arsinoë II”
Late Antiquity
Coptic
ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲙ (Paiom)
“The lake; the Coptic form preserving the older Egyptian place-name”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-Fayyūm
“The Fayyum; Arabic al- was added as the definite article”
Modern English
English
Fayyum
“The Fayyum, a richly cultivated Egyptian depression and geographical region”