Mahram
/ˈmæh.rəm/noun
A person with whom marriage is permanently forbidden under Islamic law, and who may therefore serve as an eligible close escort in certain contexts.
Did you know?Mahram belongs to the same Arabic root as haram, the term for what is forbidden or inviolable, and harem, the protected private quarters historically associated with a household.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥrm
“A reconstructed root associated with prohibition, sacred restriction, or setting something apart”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥ-r-m
“The consonantal root expressing what is forbidden, inviolable, or sacred”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
maḥram
“A person with whom marriage is permanently prohibited”
Medieval Islamic jurisprudence
Arabic
maḥram
“A legally recognized unmarriageable relative or other qualifying guardian/escort”
19th–20th Century
English
mahram
“A borrowing used in English discussions of Islamic law, gender separation, pilgrimage, and travel”
Modern English
English
mahram
“A person permanently forbidden as a marriage partner under Islamic law”