Namib
/ˈnæmɪb/noun
A coastal desert in southwestern Africa, chiefly in Namibia and extending into Angola and South Africa.
Did you know?The name comes from Nama, a Khoekhoe language, and the Namib’s famous fog sustains specialized beetles, plants, and other organisms despite almost no rainfall.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Nama
namib
“A vast or extensive place; commonly interpreted in the geographic name as a barren or empty expanse.”
19th Century
German
Namib
“The name adopted in European geographical writing for the coastal desert of southwestern Africa.”
1884–1915
German
Namib-Wüste
““Namib Desert,” used during the period of German colonial rule in German South West Africa.”
20th Century
English
Namib
“The established English name for the desert along the Atlantic coast of southern Africa.”
Modern English
English
Namib
“A major desert region extending through Namibia and into neighboring Angola and South Africa.”