hamsa

English

Alternative forms

• khamsah, khamsa, chamsa

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew חַמְסָה (khámsa), from Arabic خَمْسَة (ḵamsa, “five”), used among Jews of Arabic origin for the fingers on the hand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæm.sə/, /ˈhɑm.sə/

Noun

hamsa (plural hamsas)

2. The Hand of Fatima.

   Hypernyms: amulet, charm

   Coordinate term: nazar

   • 2017 February 22, Sam Kestenbaum, “A Brooklyn Store That Specializes in the Evil Eye”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 16 January 2021:

     Reverence for the amulets cuts across religious boundaries. Jews come for Kabbalistic bracelets, glass hamsas or strings of ceramic pomegranates.

   • 2020 November 25, Tanya Dukes, “Gilt-y Pleasures: Holiday Gift Ideas for the Jewelry Lover”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 June 2021:

     Variously associated with qualities ranging from warding off evil to promoting fertility, the open hand of the hamsa is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia and is recognized the world over.

Translations

Hand of Fatima — see also Hand of Fatima

• Arabic: خَمْسَة (ar) f (khamsa)
• Catalan: hamsa
• French: khamsa (fr) f
• Hebrew: חמסה (he)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: chamsa (pl) f
• Portuguese: hamsá f, chamsá f
• Spanish: jamsa m

Further reading

• hamsa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Hamas, Maahs, Masha, amahs, asham, hasma, masha, shama