Hammam
/hæˈmæm/noun
A communal bathhouse, especially one associated with Islamic culture and the Middle East or North Africa.
Did you know?The word comes from an Arabic root associated with heat and fever, reflecting the hammam’s traditional use of heated rooms, hot water, and steam.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥ-m-m
“To be hot or warm; a reconstructed Semitic root associated with heat.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥamma
“To become hot; to heat, or to be affected by fever.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥammām
“A heated place, bath, or bathhouse.”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
ḥammām
“A public bathhouse, especially within urban Islamic society.”
12th–15th Century
Various European languages
hammam
“An Eastern or Muslim bathhouse, borrowed through contact with Arabic-speaking cultures.”
Modern English
English
hammam
“A traditional Middle Eastern, North African, or Ottoman-style communal bathhouse.”