Where does “oasis” come from?

Oasis comes from Latin Oasis, from Ancient Greek Ὄασις, from Demotic wḥj, from Egyptian wḥꜣt, a word of North African origin referring to a fertile spot in desert regions.

oasis (English): A spring of fresh water, surrounded by a fertile...

Definitions

  1. A spring of fresh water, surrounded by a fertile...

Ancestry of “oasis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinoasisThe Great Oasis of Thebes, a string of oases in the Libyan Desert where the Roman Empire would send its criminals, the location of the modern Dakhla Oasis and Kharga Oasis
2Ancient Greekὄασιςany one of the cities in the Libyan Desert
3Demoticwḥj
4Egyptianwḥꜣtcauldron

Words derived from “oasis

Every word from Egyptian wḥꜣtEvery word from Demotic wḥjEvery word from Ancient Greek ὄασις
oasis — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer