kham·sin noun alsokham·seenorcham·sin\kamˈsēn\ (-s) Etymology: Arabic (rīḥ al-) khamsīn the wind of the fifty (days between Easter and Pentecost) : a hot southerly Egyptian wind coming from the Sahara usually in the spring and often carrying fine particles of sand < the khamsin … has been known to take paint off cars and force fine sand into camera shutters — G.E.Edgerton > — compare sirocco