Jann
/dʒæn/noun
A supernatural spirit or class of spirits in Arabic and Islamic tradition, often treated as a type of jinn.
Did you know?The Qur’an describes the jān—related to jinn—as created from a scorching, smokeless fire, while later folklore often places such spirits in wildernesses and deserts.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ǵnn
“To cover, conceal, or hide; the reconstructed root behind later Semitic words for hidden beings.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
janna
“To cover, conceal, or make invisible.”
7th Century
Arabic
al-jānn
“A hidden or supernatural being; a term related to jinn in Qur’anic Arabic.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
jinn / jān
“An unseen spirit or class of supernatural beings, not necessarily evil.”
18th–19th Century
English
jann
“An English transliteration and variant of Arabic jinn, used in writing about Islamic folklore and mythology.”
Modern English
English
jann
“A supernatural spirit in Arabic and Islamic tradition, commonly treated as a variant or subtype of djinn.”