Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Sahara” come from?

Sahara comes from Arabic صَحَارَى, the plural of صَحْرَاء meaning "desert" or "wilderness."

Ancestry of “Sahara”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicصَحَارَىdeserts

Words derived from “Sahara”

  • Saharan
  • Subsahara
  • Nilo-Saharan
  • sub-Saharan
  • Nilo-Saharanist
  • 撒哈拉
Every word from Arabic صَحَارَى →