Wasit
/ˈwɑː.sɪt/noun
Wasit is a historic city and archaeological site in central Iraq, founded near the Tigris River in the early eighth century.
Did you know?Wasit was founded around 702 CE by the Umayyad governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf as a strategic settlement positioned between Kufa and Basra.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*w-s-ṭ
“A root associated with being in the middle or occupying a central position”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
wasaṭ
“Middle, center, or central part”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
wāsiṭ
“Intermediate, centrally situated, or something between two sides”
702 CE
Arabic
Wāsiṭ
“Name given to the new Iraqi settlement founded between major regional centers”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
واسط
“Wasit, the city and surrounding district in Iraq”
Modern English
English
Wasit
“A historical city and archaeological site in Iraq”