English word origin

Etymology of haram

Borrowed from Arabic حَرَام (ḥarām). Doublet of harem and herem.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A sin.

adj

Forbidden by Islam: unlawful, sinful.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Arabic حَرَام (ḥarām). Doublet of harem and herem.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionحَرَامar
Doublet mentionharemen
Doublet mentionheremen
Root classification mentionح ر مar

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "حَرَام"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Arabic حَرَام (ḥarām)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "harem",
        "3": "herem"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of harem and herem"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ح ر م"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "حَرَام",
      "حرام#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "harem",
      "harem#English"
    ],
    [
      "herem",
      "herem#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6a3a0ed3f13b7e22f16ab8d99076dbd3e3e3d976ac6ed95e68704d5b389c0243",
      "rawRecordSha256": "83997896566fba643a5f72879dcedc27b298f04fba246ea8b2abededd1db68e9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 817669
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Forbidden by Islam: unlawful, sinful."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "f3f3d366797b18c370b1290f1b69b75cadffe936e6d406868d798a8525197478",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a003c5584c08d2cbdd0f99ad17e6ffe643763eb7f9a43cb5d0402716edaf032d",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for haram →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aGFyYW0