Rafah

R1A1F4A1H4
UK/ˈɹɑːfə/US/ˈɹæfə/

proper noun

A governorate of Southern Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine; in full, Rafah Governorate. Capital: Rafah.

Similar
Raphia
OriginArabic رَفَح ← Ancient Greek Ῥαφία ← Egyptian rpwḥw →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

Rafah1

proper noun
  1. Several places in Gaza.
    1. A governorate of Southern Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine; in full, Rafah Governorate. Capital: Rafah.
    2. A metropolitan region in Rafah governorate, Southern Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine, lying to the south of Khan Younus and to the north of Sinai, Egypt.
    3. A city, the capital of Rafah governorate, Southern Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine; lying next to the eponymous city in Egypt.
    4. A settlement, a refugee camp in the Rafah region, Rafah governorate, Southern Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine; in full, Rafah Refugee Camp, lying next to the eponymous city of Rafah.

      The United States paused a shipment of bombs to Israel amid concerns over their potential use in a Rafah incursion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Wednesday.

      2024 May 7, Oren Liebermann, “US paused shipment of bombs to Israel amid concerns over potential use in Rafah incursion”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jun 2024
  2. A city in North Sinai governate, Sinai, Egypt, lying next to the eponymous city in Gaza.
  3. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Rafah Crossing: a border gate on the Egypt, — Gaza, Palestine, border in Rafah city.
  4. A city in Egypt and Gaza, Palestine, split by an international border, each half a city in their own right, as well.

    Synonyms: Raphia

Rafah2

proper nounRafah (plural Rafahs)

plural Rafahs

  1. A female given name.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA city in Egypt and Gaza, Palestine, split by an international border, each half a city in their own right, as well.

Similar
Raphia
Also see
raphia

Origin

  1. Egyptianrpwḥw
  2. Ancient GreekῬαφία
  3. Arabicرَفَح
  4. EnglishRafah

From Arabic رَفَح (rafaḥ), from Ancient Greek Ῥαφία (Rhaphía), from Egyptian rpwḥw r:Z1-p-w-bH:mDAt-xAst

More words from Arabic, Ancient Greek, Egyptian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ῥαφία
  • Ῥαφία (Rhaphía)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Arabic رَفَح, رَفَح
  • رَفَح (rafaḥ)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • رَفَح (rafaḥ)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Chinese Mandarin 拉法, 拉法
  • 拉法 (Lāfǎ)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • 拉法 (Lāfǎ)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Greek Ράφαχ, Ράφα
  • Ράφαχ (Ráfach)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • Ράφα (Ráfa)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Hebrew רָפִיחַ
  • רָפִיחַcity in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Hindi रफ़ह, रफ़ह
  • रफ़ह (rafah)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • रफ़ह (rafah)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Japanese ラファフ, ラファ
  • ラファフ (Rafafu)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • ラファ (Rafa)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Korean 라파, 라파흐
  • 라파 (Rapa)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • 라파흐 (Rapaheu)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • 라파 (Rapa)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • 라파흐 (Rapaheu)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Lithuanian Rafachas
  • Rafachascity in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Russian Ра́фах, Ра́фах
  • Ра́фах (Ráfax)governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • Ра́фах (Ráfax)city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Spanish Rafah, Rafáh
  • Rafahcity in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
  • Rafáhcity in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

FarahFarha
Cite this entry
APA

Rafah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rafah

MLA

“Rafah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rafah. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Rafah,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rafah.

Source: Rafah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.