Saharan
/səˈhɑːr.ən/noun
Relating to or originating in the Sahara Desert.
Did you know?Sahara comes from Arabic ṣaḥrāʾ, meaning “desert,” and is related to a root associated with the appearance of open, tawny or reddish terrain—not to any occult tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ṣaḥrāʾ
“Desert; barren open land”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-ṣaḥrāʾ
“The desert”
13th–16th Century
Latin
Sahara
“The great desert region of North Africa, in geographical writing”
17th–18th Century
French
Sahara
“The North African desert”
19th Century
English
Sahara
“The desert region extending across North Africa”
19th–20th Century
English
Saharan
“Relating to the Sahara”