hajj
UK[hædʒ]US[hædʒ]
n
the religious pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least once in their life, if they are able to do so
Etymology
The word 'hajj' is a direct borrowing from the Arabic 'ḥajj', which means "pilgrimage". This Arabic term itself is derived from the Semitic root Ḥ-J-J, conveying a core sense of "to set out, to go on a pilgrimage". The specific ritual was established in Islamic tradition, but the linguistic root and the concept of a sacred journey predate Islam in the Arabian context. The word entered English through contact with Islamic culture and religious texts, retaining its specialized meaning as the obligatory Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Analysis
The word is a loanword from Arabic, borrowed as a single lexical unit. It is not productively segmented using English morphemes.
Examples
Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must complete the hajj at least once.
The annual hajj draws millions of pilgrims from around the world to Saudi Arabia.
After returning from the hajj, he was given the honorific title 'Hajji'.