Ayn
|ayn|
/eɪn/
Semitic 'eye' → name of Arabic letter / personal name
Etymology
'Ayn' originates from Proto-Semitic, specifically the root '*ʕayn', where '*ʕayn' meant 'eye'.
'Ayn' changed from the Proto-Semitic root into the Arabic letter name 'ʿayn' (ع) and was later borrowed into English as 'ayn' or 'ʿayn'.
Initially, it meant 'eye', but over time it came to be used as the name of the Arabic consonant and as a transliterated term; it can also appear as a personal name.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a personal name (proper noun), most famously the pen name of the novelist Ayn Rand (1905–1982).
Ayn Rand wrote Atlas Shrugged.
Noun 2
the name/transliteration of the Semitic consonant ʿayn (Arabic letter ع). In English texts it appears as 'ayn or ayn and represents a voiced pharyngeal fricative not found in standard English.
The Arabic letter 'ayn (ع) has no exact equivalent in English.
Last updated: 2025/10/13 23:07