Oases

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əʊˈeɪsiːz/

Definitions

1. A fertile area in a desert where water is available, supporting vegetation and wildlife
2. A place that provides relief or refuge in times of difficulty
3. A metaphorical expression for a serene or pleasant environment amidst a harsh surrounding

Etymology: "Oases" is the plural of "oasis," so the story belongs to the singular. The Greek "Ὄασις" (Óasis) came from Demotic Egyptian "wḥj," which was itself drawn from the older Egyptian "wḥꜣt," meaning "cauldron" or, by extension, an oasis, a fertile spot in the desert. The Egyptian word traveled into Greek and then Late Latin, and English borrowed it from there. The same root shows up in Coptic, the late form of Egyptian written in Greek-based script, where the word appears as "ouahe." Arabic "wāḥa," which also means an oasis, is a related form, and it is the one most Europeans encountered when crossing the desert regions of North Africa. The overlap of Egyptian, Greek, Coptic and Arabic forms reflects how many languages in the region passed the same desert term along.

Synonyms: sanctuaries, refuges

Antonyms: deserts