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he·gi·ra also he·ji·ra

(hĭ-jīrə, hĕjər-ə)

1. A flight to escape danger.

2. also Hegira The flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, marking the beginning of the Muslim era.

[Medieval Latin, from Arabic hijra, emigration, flight, from hajara, to depart; see hgr in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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