Khamsin
/ˈkæm.sɪn/noun
A hot, dry, dust-laden wind that blows across North Africa and the Middle East, especially in spring.
Did you know?The name comes from Arabic khamsīn, meaning “fifty,” because the wind traditionally occurs during a period of about fifty days, not because every storm lasts that long.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḫamš-
“Five”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
ḥāmēš
“Five”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
ḥōmeš
“A fifth part; later associated with the Five Books of Moses”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
khams
“Five”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
khamsīn
“Fifty”
19th Century
English
khamsin
“A hot, dry, dust-bearing wind of North Africa and the Middle East”