The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.
Khamsin \Kham*sin`\, n. Same as Kamsin.
Wiktionary
n. A hot wind in Egypt which blows (for about 50 days) from the desert, bringing with it sand.
WordNet
n. an oppressively hot southerly wind from the Sahara that blows across Egypt in the spring
Wikipedia
Khamsin is a hot spring wind in the Middle East. It can also refer to:
- Maserati Khamsin, a sports car
- Khamsin Pass, and Antarctic pass running north-south between Relay Hills and the Kinnear Mountains
- Eremiaphila khamsin, a species of praying mantis native to Egypt and Yeme
- Khamsin Nbh'w (Flame Haze), see List of Shakugan no Shana characters
Khamsīn , chamsin or hamsin ( , "fifty"), more commonly known in Egypt as khamaseen ( , ), is a dry, hot, sandy local wind, blowing from the south, in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Similar winds in the area are sirocco and simoom. From the Arabic word for "fifty", throughout the Levant, these dry, sand-filled windstorms often blow sporadically over fifty days, hence the name.
When the storm passes over an area, lasting for several hours, it carries great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts, with a speed up to 140 kilometers per hour, and the humidity in that area drops below 5%. Even in winter, the temperatures rise above 45°C due to the storm. The sand storms are reported to have seriously impeded both Napoleon's military campaigns in Egypt as well as Allied-German fighting in North Africa in World War II.
Usage examples of "khamsin".
From the intelligence Ben had received about Khamsin and his troops, the residents of South Carolina were indeed having a bad time of it.
During the raid, the so-called invincible Khamsin, The Hot Wind, had been wounded in his Libyan ass.
And in South Carolina, waiting to spread like a wildfire, was the Libyan, Khamsin, The Hot Wind, and his thousands of troops.
But while some of his people may have been kidding themselves, Ben Raines knew that Khamsin and his troops could break out wherever and whenever they chose to do so.
But he knew that before he could really, effectively start his outposts across the land, Khamsin had to be dealt with.
Georgia, do your little thing with Khamsin and his rag-heads, and then settle down in your own little spot?
And General Khamsin, almost drunk with the thoughts of victory, had increased the numbers moving across the Savannah River.
And the Rebels were just aching for the IPA to meet them in the mountains comsomething all knew that Khamsin would not allow, for his recon teams who had been sent into the mountains never returned.
The commander of the Second Brigade had been with Khamsin for many years.
And what was worse, Khamsin did not know how to stop the tide of defeat.
Hamid quietly left the room, leaving Khamsin alone with his bitter thoughts.
Ashley forever, it seems, but Khamsin needs to be dealt with right now.
The Rebels had intercepted several radio messages between Khamsin and his field commanders, and Khamsin, to put it mildly, was highly pissed-off.
He felt, for several reasons, that Khamsin would not put many troops west of Atlanta.
But Louie was going to be just a bit short and south of his goal of dropping one in on Khamsin in South Carolina.