Suhur
/suːˈhʊər/noun
The pre-dawn meal eaten by Muslims before beginning a day of fasting, especially during Ramadan.
Did you know?Suhur comes from Arabic words connected with the time just before dawn; the same consonantal root, s-ḥ-r, is also associated in Arabic with siḥr, or magic, although the precise historical relationship is debated.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
saḥar
“The time immediately before dawn, when darkness begins to give way to light.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
saḥara
“To eat or drink during the pre-dawn hours.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
suḥūr
“The act or meal of eating before dawn during a fast.”
Medieval Islamic usage
Arabic
suḥūr
“The pre-dawn meal associated particularly with fasting in Ramadan.”
20th Century
English
suhur
“An English transliteration used for the pre-dawn Ramadan meal.”
Modern English
English
suhur
“The meal eaten before dawn before a day of Islamic fasting.”