khamsin

American  

[kam-seen, kam-sin] / kæmˈsin, ˈkæm sɪn /

noun

1. a hot southerly wind, varying from southeast to southwest, that blows regularly in Egypt and over the Red Sea for about 50 days, commencing about the middle of March.

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khamsin British  

/ kæmˈsiːn, ˈkæmsɪn /

noun

1. a hot southerly wind blowing from about March to May, esp in Egypt

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Etymology

Origin of khamsin

First recorded in 1675–85, khamsin is from the Arabic word khamsīn literally, fifty

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

khamsin

The hot, dry atmosphere produced by the khamsin contains an excess of positive ions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week, as Jerusalem suffered under the worst khamsin since 1893, tempers and guns blazed along Israel's borders.

From Time Magazine Archive

The khamsin is a baleful wind that flares out of the deserts, drying out the land and the people until the flesh fairly crackles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Additional tests have shown that their conditions are aggravated, not directly caused by the khamsin.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was another very hot day, with a khamsin blowing, and the hard, shelterless hill-sides were a poor place to spend it on.

From The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918 by F. L. Morrison

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