Beirut

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major city and the capital of Lebanon, known for its rich history and diverse culture
2. A key economic and cultural center in the Middle East, influential in trade and finance
3. An important historical site marked by a blend of various architectural styles and cultural influences

Etymology: The name of Lebanon's capital is a plural: its Phoenician form, brt, is generally understood to mean "wells," a fitting name for a coastal city that depended on fresh water. The Semitic root behind it, reconstructed as *biʾrāt-, carries the same sense, and the same root appears in the Hebrew place name Beeroth, which shows that the word was not confined to one language. The Greeks and Romans knew the city as Berytus, a form that passed through Latin and survives as a doublet of the modern name. The Arabic form bayrūt and the Ottoman Turkish beyrût, through which the name reached European languages, are later stages of the same word, so the Latin and modern names are versions of one ancient Phoenician term rather than separate words.

Synonyms: lebanon's capital