Masar (Hausa)

Where does "Masar" come from?

The Hausa word 'Masar', meaning 'Egypt'[1], was borrowed from the Arabic word 'مِصْر' ('miṣr')[1]. This Arabic term traces back to a common Semitic source shared with languages like Hebrew and Akkadian[2].

Open questions

• The ultimate origin from a common Semitic source is supported by comparative forms across multiple ancient languages. [2]

Full etymology tree

• Masar (Hausa), 'Egypt (a country in North Africa and West Asia)'
  • borrowed مصر (miṣr) (Arabic), 'Egypt (a country in North Africa and West Asia)'
    • derived (Semitic)
    • influenced by م ص ر (m-ṣ-r) (Arabic)

Cognates and doublets

• masara (Hausa)

Sources

1. Masar (Hausa) - Wiktionary
2. مصر (miṣr) (Arabic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris