Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A porter or bearer in certain Muslim countries.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A porter in Constantinople. Two hamals carry immense weights between them, suspended from poles supported on their shoulders.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun In Turkey and other Oriental countries, a porter or burden bearer; specif., in Western India, a palanquin bearer.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a porter in Turkey and other oriental countries.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Arabic ḥammāl, from ḥamala, to carry; see x̣ml in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Arabic حمال (Hammāl, "porter")

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Examples

  • The husband is in Iran looking for some kind of work, probably a hamal.

    Afghan Connections published by Friends of Afghanistan 2008

  • The husband is in Iran looking for some kind of work, probably a hamal.

    Archive 2008-07-01 2008

  • It is while looking at what seems both externally and internally complete and perfect happiness that the thought occurs — how must these people sigh, when driven across the dreary wilderness that intervenes between the lake country and the sea-coast, for such homes as these! — those unfortunates who, bought by the Arabs for a couple of doti, are taken away to Zanzibar to pick cloves, or do hamal work!

    How I Found Livingstone Henry Morton 2004

  • Chamu drove the hamal away in front of him, and cuffed him the minute they were out of sight.

    Guns of the Gods Mundy, Talbot, 1879-1940 1921

  • He went and fetched the hamal, who slunk through his task with the air of a condemned felon.

    Guns of the Gods Mundy, Talbot, 1879-1940 1921

  • Late that evening Dick Blaine, returning from a desultory dinner at the club across the river, very nearly fell into the trap-door, for the hamal had run away too, thinking he would surely be accused of all the mischief, and no lamps were lit.

    Guns of the Gods Mundy, Talbot, 1879-1940 1921

  • Here, one of the gang (later identified as the man who had been known as John Robin Ross-Ellison, and who insisted that he was a Baluchi) declared that he had just murdered Mrs. Dearman in her drawing-room and made a full statement -- a statement found to be only too true, its details corroborated by a trembling _hamal_ who had peeped and listened, as all Indian servants peep and listen.

    Driftwood Spars The Stories of a Man, a Boy, a Woman, and Certain Other People Who Strangely Met Upon the Sea of Life Percival Christopher Wren 1913

  • Now it was my painful duty to go every morning up to his office-room and see that peon had put fresh ink and everything ready and that the _hamal_ had dusted properly.

    Driftwood Spars The Stories of a Man, a Boy, a Woman, and Certain Other People Who Strangely Met Upon the Sea of Life Percival Christopher Wren 1913

  • Late that evening Dick Blaine, returning from a desultory dinner at the club across the river, very nearly fell into the trap-door, for the hamal had run away too, thinking he would surely be accused of all the mischief, and no lamps were lit.

    Guns of the Gods Talbot Mundy 1909

  • He went and fetched the hamal, who slunk through his task with the air of a condemned felon.

    Guns of the Gods Talbot Mundy 1909

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