khamsin
Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to khamsin: mistral
kham·sin
(kăm-sēn′)n.
A generally southerly hot wind originating in the Sahara that blows across Egypt from late March to early May.
[Arabic (rīḥ al-)ḫamsīn, (wind of the) 50 (days), khamsin, from oblique case of ḫamsūn, fifty, from ḫams, five; see ḫmš in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
khamsin
(ˈkæmsɪn; kæmˈsiːn) ,kamseen
orkamsin
n
(Physical Geography) a hot southerly wind blowing from about March to May, esp in Egypt
[C17: from Arabic, literally: fifty]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
kham•sin
(kæmˈsin, ˈkæm sɪn)n.
a hot southerly wind that blows regularly in Egypt and over the Red Sea for about 50 days, commencing about the middle of March.
[1675–85; < Arabic khamsīn literally, fifty]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | khamsin - an oppressively hot southerly wind from the Sahara that blows across Egypt in the spring air current, current of air, wind - air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure; "trees bent under the fierce winds"; "when there is no wind, row"; "the radioactivity was being swept upwards by the air current and out into the atmosphere" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.