Hamsin
/ˈhæm.sɪn/noun
A hot, dry, dusty wind that blows across Egypt and parts of the eastern Mediterranean, especially in spring.
Did you know?The name refers to the traditional belief that the wind can occur during roughly fifty days of spring, though it does not blow continuously.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḫamš-
“Five”
Biblical and Classical Semitic
Semitic
ḫamš
“Five; the number five”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḫamsa
“Five”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-ḫamsīn
“The fifty, referring to the traditional fifty-day period”
19th Century
English
hamsin
“A hot, dusty wind of Egypt and neighboring regions”
Modern English
English
hamsin
“A hot, dry, dust-laden desert wind”