Damascus

From Latin Dāmascus, from Ancient Greek Δαμασκός (Damaskós), from a Semitic form akin to Hebrew דַּמֶּשֶׂק. Doublet of Dimashq.

The etymology of the ancient name Damascus is uncertain. It is attested as Imerišú (𒀲𒋙) in Akkadian, T-m-ś-q (𓍘𓄟𓊃𓈎𓅱) in Egyptian, Dammaśq (𐡃𐡌𐡔𐡒) in Old Aramaic and Dammeśeq (דַּמֶּשֶׂק) in Biblical Hebrew. A number of Akkadian spellings are found in the Amarna letters, from the 14th century BC: Dimasqa (𒁲𒈦𒋡), Dimàsqì (𒁲𒈦𒀸𒄀), and Dimàsqa (𒁲𒈦𒀸𒋡).

• IPA^(key): /dəˈmæskəs/, /dəˈmɑːskəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Da‧mas‧cus

Damascus

2. The capital city of Syria; an ancient settlement, the ancient capital of various polities, most notably the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 744 CE and Aram-Damascus, existing from the 12th to 8th centuries BCE.

   Synonym: Dimashq

From Middle Dutch damascus, from Latin Damascus, from Ancient Greek Δαμασκός (Damaskós), from a Semitic language.

• IPA^(key): /ˌdaːˈmɑs.kʏs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Da‧mas‧cus

Damascus n

1. Damascus (the capital city of Syria; an ancient settlement, the ancient capital of various polities, most notably the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 744 CE and Aram-Damascus, existing from the 12th to 8th centuries BCE)

• Damasceen

• Damasceens
• Damascener

From Ancient Greek Δαμασκός (Damaskós), from a Semitic source.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [daːˈmas.kʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [d̪aˈmas.kus]

Dāmascus f sg (genitive Dāmascī); second declension

1. Damascus (the capital city of Syria; an ancient settlement, the ancient capital of various polities, most notably the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 744 CE and Aram-Damascus, existing from the 12th to 8th centuries BCE)

Second-declension noun, with locative, singular only.

• “Damascus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Damascus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.