English 'Damascus' comes via Latin and Greek from Aramaic Dammeseq, a name of pre-Semitic origin possibly meaning 'well-watered place' — the same city name gave English the words damask, damascene, and damson.
The capital city of Syria, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, situated in an oasis on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountains.
English 'Damascus' derives via Latin 'Damascus' and Greek 'Damaskos' (Δαμασκός) from Aramaic 'Darmeseq' or 'Dammeseq' and Hebrew 'Dammesek' (דמשק). The name appears in Egyptian records as 'Timašqu' (Thutmose III, c. 1450 BCE) and in the Amarna Letters as 'Dimaški'. The etymology is uncertain and the name likely predates Semitic languages in the region. One proposal connects it to a pre-Semitic word meaning 'well-watered
Damascus gave its name to three English words: 'damask' (a richly patterned fabric), 'damascene' (a metalworking technique of inlaying gold or silver into steel), and 'damson' (a type of plum, from Latin 'prunum damascenum' — 'plum of Damascus'). The city's reputation as a trading hub left a deeper mark on the English language than most ancient capitals.