# Sahara
## English
### Alternative forms

* Zaara (obsolete)

### Etymology

From Arabic صَحَارَى (ṣaḥārā, “deserts”).

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /səˈhɑːɹə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* (General American) IPA: /səˈhɑɹə/, /səˈhɛɹə/
* Rhymes: -ɑːɹə, -ɛəɹə

### Proper noun

the Sahara
* A desert in North Africa, the largest hot desert in the world.
    Synonym: Zaara
    Coordinate term: Nubian Desert

#### Derived terms

* Saharan
* Sahara pump theory
* Saharo-
* sub-Sahara

#### Translations
## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsaɦara]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ara

### Proper noun

Sahara f (relational adjective saharský)
* Sahara (desert)

#### Derived terms

* subsaharský

### Further reading

* “Sahara”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “Sahara”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* “Sahara”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

## Dutch
### Etymology

From Arabic صَحْرَاء (ṣaḥrāʔ, “desert”).
The area was named after the desert because its construction necessitated the use of a lot of sand to build up a foundation.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɑˈɦaː.raː/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: Sa‧ha‧ra

### Proper noun

Sahara n
* Sahara
* A neighbourhood of Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands
* A neighbourhood of Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands

### References

* van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) “sahara”, in Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard‎ (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic صَحْرَاء (ṣaḥrāʔ, “desert”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sa.a.ʁa/
* Rhymes: -a

### Proper noun

Sahara m
* Sahara
    Synonym: désert du Sahara
    Hypernym: désert
    Holonym: Afrique
    Meronyms: désert de Libye, désert Libyque

#### Derived terms

* Sahara occidental
* saharien

#### Related terms

* Sahel

## German
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic صَحَارَى (ṣaḥārā, “deserts”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zaˈhaːʁa/
* Audio:(file)

### Proper noun

die Sahara f (proper noun, usually definite, definite genitive der Sahara)
* Sahara (a desert in North Africa)
    Synonym: Saharawüste

#### Usage notes

* Sahara is feminine and takes the definite article die; compare English "the Sahara".
* Very occasionally, Sahara occurs without a definite article; in such cases a genitive Saharas may occur. In such usages, the gender is unclear.

#### Meronyms

* Nordsahara, Ostsahara, Südsahara, Westsahara

#### Derived terms

* saharisch, Subsahara

#### Related terms

* Saharadurchquerung, Saharanomade, Saharasand, Saharastaub

### Further reading

* “Sahara” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
* “Sahara” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
* “Sahara” in Duden online

## Italian
### Alternative forms

* Saara

### Etymology

From Arabic صَحْرَاء (ṣaḥrāʔ, “desert”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saˈa.ra/
* Rhymes: -ara
* Hyphenation: Sa‧hà‧ra

### Proper noun

Sahara m
* Sahara

#### Derived terms

* sahariano

### References

* ↑ Sahara in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Latin
### Proper noun

Sahāra f sg (genitive Sahārae); first declension
* (New Latin) Sahara (a major desert in North Africa)

#### Declension

First-declension noun, with locative, singular only.

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic صَحَارَى (ṣaḥārā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saˈxa.ra/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ara
* Syllabification: Sa‧ha‧ra

### Proper noun

Sahara f
* Sahara (a desert in Africa)

#### Derived terms

* saharyjski
* Saharyjczyk
* Saharyjka

### Further reading

* Sahara in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Proper noun

Sahara m
* Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of Saara.

## Serbo-Croatian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sǎxara/
* Hyphenation: Sa‧ha‧ra

### Proper noun

Sàhara f (Cyrillic spelling Са̀хара)
* Sahara

#### Declension
## Spanish
### Alternative forms

* Sáhara

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saˈaɾa/ [saˈa.ɾa]
* IPA: /saˈxaɾa/ [saˈxa.ɾa]
* Rhymes: -aɾa
* Syllabification: Sa‧ha‧ra

### Proper noun

Sahara m
* Sahara (desert)

#### Derived terms

* Sahara Occidental

## Swahili
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic صَحَارَى (ṣaḥārā).

### Pronunciation

* Audio (Kenya):(file)

### Proper noun

Sahara
* Sahara (desert)