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Sahara

[ suh-har-uh, -hair-uh, -hahr-uh ]
/ səˈhær ə, -ˈhɛər ə, -ˈhɑr ə /
|

noun

a desert in N Africa, extending from the Atlantic to the Nile valley. About 3,500,000 sq. mi. (9,065,000 sq. km).
any arid waste.

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RELATED WORDS

wilderness, solitude, barren, wild
Related formsSa·har·an, Sa·har·i·an, adjectivetrans-Sa·har·a, adjectivetrans-Sa·har·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sahara

British Dictionary definitions for sahara

Sahara

/ (səˈhɑːrə) /

noun

a desert in N Africa, extending from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and from the Mediterranean to central Mali, Niger, Chad, and the Sudan: the largest desert in the world, occupying over a quarter of Africa; rises to over 3300 m (11 000 ft) in the central mountain system of the Ahaggar and Tibesti massifs; large reserves of iron ore, oil, and natural gas. Area: 9 100 000 sq km (3 500 000 sq miles). Average annual rainfall: less than 254 mm (10 in.). Highest recorded temperature: 58°C (136.4°F)
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
Word Origin and History for sahara

Sahara

1610s, from Arabic çahra "desert" (plural çahara), according to Klein, noun use of fem. of the adjective asharu "yellowish red." Related: Saharan.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for sahara

Sahara

Desert in northern Africa.

Note

At approximately 3.5 million square miles, it is the world's largest desert.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.