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sab·kha

(săbkə)

A flat area, typically lying between a desert and an ocean or salt lake, whose surface is characterized by efflorescences of salt, gypsum, and calcium carbonate as well as windblown sediments and often tidal deposits.

[Arabic sabaḫa, sabḫa, salt marsh, sabkha, sabiḫa, to rest; see šbḫ in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

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sabkha

Lake Eyre Basin, Australia

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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