Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "simoom" come from? It comes from Arabic samma / samum, and was adopted directly into English (1790).
Read the full story
Where does the word "simoom" come from? It comes from Arabic samma / samum, and was adopted directly into English (1790).
Simoom’s story begins in Arabic: samma / samum meant “poisonous wind.” From sam, "poison"; samma meant "he poisoned". It reached English by 1790 as simoom. Entered English travel writing describing the deadly desert wind. Today, simoom means a hot, dry, dust-laden desert wind in Arabia and the Sahara.
- Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval samma / samum "poisonous wind", from sam, "poison"; samma meant "he poisoned".
- Stage 2 · English · 1790 simoom "hot, dry desert windstorm", entered English travel writing describing the deadly desert wind.