Khamseen
/ˌkæmˈsiːn/noun
A hot, dry, dust-laden wind that blows across Egypt and neighboring parts of North Africa, especially in spring.
Did you know?Khamseen is an English spelling variant of khamsin, whose Arabic name refers to the traditional fifty-day period following the spring equinox when these winds may occur.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Semitic
*ḫamš-
“Five; the reconstructed Semitic numeral root behind later Arabic forms”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
khamsa (خمسة)
“Five”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
khamsīn (خمسين)
“Fifty, literally a form built from the word for five”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-khamsīn
“The fifty; the name associated with the hot winds of the fifty-day season”
19th Century
English
khamsin / khamseen
“A hot, dusty wind of Egypt and North Africa”
Modern English
English
khamseen
“A variant spelling of khamsin, the seasonal desert wind”