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Where does the word "oasis" come from? It comes from Egyptian wahe, passing through Greek before entering English (1600s).
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Where does the word "oasis" come from? It comes from Egyptian wahe, passing through Greek before entering English (1600s).
Oasis’s story begins in Egyptian: wahe meant “a fertile desert spot.” A fertile spot in the desert with a natural water source. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Greek as oasis. Herodotus used it for the Kharga oasis in Egypt. It reached English by 1600s as oasis. Settled as the English word for a fertile desert refuge. Today, oasis means a fertile spot in a desert, made possible by a natural water source.
- Stage 1 · Egyptian · ancient wahe "a fertile desert spot", a fertile spot in the desert with a natural water source.
- Stage 2 · Greek · ancient oasis "a fertile spot in a desert", Herodotus used it for the Kharga oasis in Egypt.
- Stage 3 · English · 1600s oasis "a fertile spot in a desert, with water", settled as the English word for a fertile desert refuge.