Meknès
/mɛkˈnɛs/noun
A historic city in northern Morocco and one of the country’s four imperial cities.
Did you know?Meknès takes its name from the Miknasa, a Berber tribal confederation whose influence extended across parts of Morocco and eastern Algeria.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity
Berber
Miknasa
“Name of the Berber tribal confederation associated with the region; the deeper linguistic meaning is uncertain.”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
Miknās / مِكناس
“Arabic rendering of the tribal name Miknasa.”
10th–11th Century
Arabic
Madīnat Miknās
““City of Miknās,” referring to the settlement named for the tribe.”
11th–15th Century
Arabic
Miknās
“Established regional city name in Arabic historical and geographic writing.”
17th Century
French
Meknès
“French form of the Moroccan city’s name.”
Modern English
English
Meknès / Meknes
“The modern English name for the historic Moroccan city.”