Oasis
/oʊˈeɪ.sɪs/noun
A fertile place in a desert or other arid region where water is available.
Did you know?The word traveled into Greek from ancient Egyptian through Coptic, making “oasis” one of English’s rare everyday words with an Egyptian ancestry.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian
wḥꜣ.t
“Oasis; an inhabited or settled place in the desert”
Late Egyptian
Egyptian
wḥꜣ
“Oasis or desert settlement”
Late Antiquity
Coptic
ouahe
“Oasis; a cultivated, inhabited place amid desert”
5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
ὄασις (óasis)
“Oasis; fertile land in a desert”
Latin
Latin
oasis
“Oasis or fertile desert place”
17th Century
English
oasis
“A fertile spot in a desert”
Modern English
English
oasis
“A fertile place with water amid an arid region”