in Islamic calendrical reckoning, 1788, abbreviation of Medieval Latin Anno Hegirae, "Year of the Hegira," the flight of Muhammad from Mecca in 622 C.E., from which Muslims reckon time; from ablative of annus "year" (see annual (adj.)) + genitive of hegira.
Entries linking to a.h.
annual adj.
late 14c., "appointed by the year;" c. 1400, "occurring or done once a year," from Old French annuel "yearly" (12c.) or directly from Medieval Latin annualis "yearly," corresponding to Latin annalis as adjective form of annus "year."
This is reconstructed to be from Proto-Italic *atno- "year" (compare Oscan akno- "year, holiday, time of offering"), from PIE *at-no- "which goes," also "a year" (as "going around"), suffixed form of root *at- "to go" (source also of Sanskrit atati "goes, wanders," atamana- "to travel, wander," atya- "steed, runner"). The root also has Germanic derivatives meaning "a year," such as Gothic aþnam (dative plural) "year."
hegira n.
flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina (July 16, 622 C.E.), the event from which the Islamic calendar reckons, 1580s, from Medieval Latin hegira, from Arabic hijrah "departure," from hajara "to depart."