Haj
/hædʒ/noun
A pilgrimage to Mecca, especially the obligatory Islamic pilgrimage performed during a designated month.
Did you know?The Hajj includes the ritual stoning of three pillars at Mina, symbolizing rejection of Satan in Islamic tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥajj
“Pilgrimage, especially pilgrimage to the Kaaba at Mecca”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
ḥajja
“He made a pilgrimage or undertook the pilgrimage”
Medieval Period
Persian
ḥajj
“Pilgrimage to Mecca, borrowed from Arabic”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
hac
“The pilgrimage to Mecca”
17th Century
English
haj
“A pilgrimage to Mecca”
Modern English
English
haj
“A variant spelling of hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca”