noun
also kham·seen or cham·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