khamsin

khamsin
/kam seen", kam"sin/, n.
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.
[1675-85; < Ar khamsin lit., fifty]

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▪ air current
also spelled  Khamseen, or Chamsin,  

      hot, dry, dusty wind in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that blows from the south or southeast in late winter and early spring. It often reaches temperatures above 40° C (104° F), and it may blow continuously for three or four days at a time and then be followed by an inflow of much cooler air.

      The khamsin results when a low-pressure centre moves eastward over the Sahara or the southern Mediterranean Sea. On its forward side, the centre brings warm, dry air northward out of the desert, carrying large amounts of dust and sand; on its rear side, it brings cool air southward from the Mediterranean. The name khamsin is derived from the Arabic word for “50” and refers to the approximately 50-day period in which the wind annually occurs.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • khamsin — [ xamsin ] n. m. VAR. chamsin • XVIIIe; mot ar. ♦ Vent de sable analogue au sirocco, en Égypte. ● khamsin ou chamsin nom masculin (arabe khamsīn, cinquantaine) Vent brûlant et chargé de sable, qui sévit d avril à juin en Égypte, venant du désert… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • khamsin — KHAMSÍN s.n. Vânt uscat, cu nisip, asemănător cu siroco, în Egipt. [pr.: cam ] (cf. fr. khamsin) Trimis de tavi, 13.09.2007. Sursa: MDN  KHAMSÍN CAM / s. n. vânt uscat, cu nisip, asemănător cu siroco, în Egipt. (< fr. khamsin) Trimis de… …   Dicționar Român

  • khamsin — [kam′sin, kam sēn′] n. [Ar khamsīn < khamsūn, fifty: so named for the fifty days the wind blows] a hot south wind from the Sahara that blows in the Near East, esp. Egypt, from late March until early May …   English World dictionary

  • Khamsin — Kham*sin , n. Same as {Kamsin}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Khamsin — (arab., die Finger), die fünf täglichen Gebete der Moslemim …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Khamsin — For the car, see Maserati Khamsin. Khamsin in hieroglyphs …   Wikipedia

  • Khamsin — Le khamsin, kamsin ou chamsin (arabe: خمسين, khamsīn or khamseen) est un vent de sable brûlant qui souffle du désert d Égypte à Israël. Son nom signifie « cinquantaine » parce qu il est censé ne souffler que pendant une cinquantaine de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Khamsin — Staubsturm über Libyen (NASA/EOS) Der Chamsin bzw. Khamsin (arabische Bezeichnung) oder auch Sharav (hebräischer Begriff) ist ein sehr heißer und trockener Wüstenwind, der zeitweise in Libyen, Ägypten sowie in Israel/ …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Khamsin — Kamsin Kam*sin , Khamsin Kham*sin , n. [Ar. khams[=i]n, fr. khams[=u]n, oblique case khams[=i]n, fifty; so called because it blows for about fifty days, from April till June.] A hot southwesterly wind in Egypt, coming from the Sahara. [Written… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • khamsin — noun Etymology: Arabic rīḥ al khamsīn the wind of the fifty (days between Easter and Pentecost) Date: 1685 a hot southerly Egyptian wind …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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