Yawm
/jaʊm/noun
An Arabic word meaning “day,” often used in English Islamic contexts and transliterations of Arabic expressions.
Did you know?In Qur’anic Arabic, yawm can refer not only to a 24-hour day but also to an extended period or epoch, including the eschatological Day of Judgment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*yawm-
“Reconstructed word for “day” or a period of daylight.”
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
ūmu
“Day; a period of time or a designated date.”
1st Millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
yôm
“Day, daylight, or an appointed time.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
yawm (يَوْم)
“Day; time; period or occasion.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
Yawm al-Qiyāmah
“The Day of Resurrection or Judgment.”
Modern English
English
yawm
“A transliteration of Arabic yawm, meaning “day,” especially in Islamic religious contexts.”
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