Hamam
/hæˈmæm/noun
A Turkish or Middle Eastern public bathhouse, traditionally featuring heated rooms and bathing rituals.
Did you know?The word comes from Arabic ḥammām, built from a root associated with heat, while the bathhouse itself became a major institution across the Islamic world and Ottoman Empire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥ-m-m
“A reconstructed root associated with heat or being hot”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥammāma
“He became hot or warm”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥammām
“A heated place; bathhouse”
Medieval Period
Arabic
ḥammām
“A public bathhouse used for washing, relaxation, and social life”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
hamam
“Public bathhouse, especially one using heated marble rooms”
17th Century
English
hamam
“A Turkish bath or bathhouse”
Modern English
English
hamam
“A traditional Turkish or Middle Eastern bathhouse”