سمسم

Arabic

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *šamn-

Akkadian šaman

Akkadian šammum

Akkadian 𒊭𒈦𒌑𒈬 (šamaššammum)bor.

Aramaic שׁוּמְשֻׁומָא (šumššumā)bor.

Arabic سمسم

Borrowed from Aramaic שׁוּמְשֻׁומָא (šumššumā), borrowed from Akkadian 𒊭𒈦𒌑𒈬 (šamaššammum), from šaman + šammum. Compare Classical Syriac ܫܘܫܡܐ (šūšmāʾ, šuššəmāʾ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sim.sim/

Noun

سِمْسِم • (simsim) m

1. sesame (plant or seed)

Declension

Declension of noun سِمْسِم (simsim)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	سِمْسِم simsim	السِّمْسِم as-simsim	سِمْسِم simsim
nominative	سِمْسِمٌ simsimun	السِّمْسِمُ as-simsimu	سِمْسِمُ simsimu
accusative	سِمْسِمًا simsiman	السِّمْسِمَ as-simsima	سِمْسِمَ simsima
genitive	سِمْسِمٍ simsimin	السِّمْسِمِ as-simsimi	سِمْسِمِ simsimi

Descendants

• Cypriot Arabic: sumpsom
• Maltese: simsem
• → Urdu: سِمْسِم (simsim)

Proper noun

سِمْسِم • (simsim) m

1. Simsim, Semsem (a former village in what is now Israel)

References

• Corriente, Federico (2008), “Coptic loanwords of Egyptian Arabic in comparison with the parallel case of Romance loanwords in Andalusi Arabic, with the true Egyptian etymon of Al-Andalus”, in Collectanea Christiana Orientalia, volume 5, →DOI, page 85

Urdu

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *šamn-

Akkadian šaman

Akkadian šammum

Akkadian 𒊭𒈦𒌑𒈬 (šamaššammum)bor.

Aramaic שׁוּמְשֻׁומָא (šumššumā)bor.

Arabic سِمْسِم (simsim)bor.

Urdu سمسم

Borrowed from Arabic سِمْسِم (simsim), borrowed from Aramaic שׁוּמְשֻׁומָא (šumššumā), borrowed from Akkadian 𒊭𒈦𒌑𒈬 (šamaššammum), from šaman + šammum.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /sɪm.sɪm/

Noun

سِمْسِم • (simsim) m (Hindi spelling सिमसिम)

1. sesame

Noun

سَمْسَم • (samsam) m (Hindi spelling सम्सम)

1. fox

References

• “سمسم”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “سمسم”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.