hamal

or ham·mal

[ huh-mahl, -mawl ]

/ həˈmɑl, -ˈmɔl /

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noun

(in some Muslim countries) a porter.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of hamal

1960–65; <Arabic hammāl porter, carrier, akin to hamala to carry

Words nearby hamal

Hama, Hamadan, hamadryad, hamadryas, hamadryas baboon, hamal, Hamamatsu, hamamelidaceous, hamamelis, Haman, hamantasch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hamal in a sentence

The star was called Hamal by the Arabs, signifying a sheep, and the animal is represented as looking backwards.
The Astronomy of Milton's 'Paradise Lost'|Thomas Orchard
A hamal's carrying capacity may therefore be expressed, after this experience, as equal to a half horse-power.
Turkey|Julius R. Van Millingen
The Pasha told the Hamal to go away and come back in a week; in the meantime he would see what he could do for him.
Told in the Coffee House|Cyrus Adler
She whispered to me, after the play: "Isidore and Alfred de Hamal are both here!"
The Worlds Greatest Books|Arthur Mee, J. A. Hammerton, Eds.

Hamal lies near the path of the moon, and is one of the stars from which longitude is reckoned.
A Field Book of the Stars|William Tyler Olcott

British Dictionary definitions for hamal

hamal

hammal or hamaul

/ (həˈmɑːl) /

noun

(in Middle Eastern countries) a porter, bearer, or servant

Word Origin for hamal

from Arabic hamala to carry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012