Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "ramadan" come from? It comes from Arabic ramaḍān, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "ramadan" come from? It comes from Arabic ramaḍān, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
Ramadan’s story begins in Arabic: ramaḍān meant “the hot month.” From 'ramaḍ', scorching heat, since in the old calendar the month fell in summer. It reached English by 1590s as Ramadan. Borrowed in travellers' accounts of the Islamic world. Today, ramadan means the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed as a month of fasting.
- Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval ramaḍān "the hot month", from 'ramaḍ', scorching heat, since in the old calendar the month fell in summer.
- Stage 2 · English · 1590s Ramadan "month of fasting", borrowed in travellers' accounts of the Islamic world.