Muhammad
/mʊˈhæməd/
proper noun
Origin
Arabic
ح م د — to praise
Overview
Meaning Now
- The central prophet of Islam, believed to be the final messenger of God.
- A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning 'praised' or 'praiseworthy'.
Literal older meaning
the one who is praised
Language path
Proto-Semitic → Classical Arabic → English
Earliest form
مُحَمَّد
Earliest period
7th century
Journey
The name is derived from the Arabic triconsonantal root ḥ-m-d (ḥ-m-d). It is the passive participle of the second form of the verb, meaning 'highly praised' or 'he who is praised again and again'.
Evolution
- Proto-Semitic
ḥ-m-d
“praise”
- Classical Arabic (7th c.)
مُحَمَّد
“the praised one”
Passive participle of the verb ḥammada (to praise).
- Modern English
Muhammad
“Name of the Prophet of Islam”
Anglicized transcription of the Arabic name.
Connections
Word parts
Mu-
prefix
passive participle marker
-hammad
root
praise
Related across languages
Hebrew
ḥmd (חמד)
to desire, to covet (related root)
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