Muhammad is from Arabic, a language of the Semitic language family. Muhammad comes from the Proto-Semitic root hmd, “praise, extol”, from which came the verb hammada, “to praise highly”. From that was derived the adjective muhammad, “praised; commendable”. Muhammad, then, means “the Praiseworthy” — similar to the original meaning of the English word worship .

Since this name is Semitic in origin, there are some curious linguistic features here that aren’t present in most English etymologies. Note that the “h” in Muhammad, hmd, and hammad isn’t really an “h” sound as in English; instead, it’s pronounced like the “ch” in German Bach, except rather further back in the throat. Arabic has a fair number of consonants pronounced deep in the throat in this way. Native English speakers tend to hack and gargle when they first try to pronounce these consonants, but in the skilled larynx of a native Arabic speaker, they are quite beautiful. Second, notice that the Proto-Semitic root hmd has no vowels at all. This is not because it was pronounced with no vowels, but because the vowels were on a separate root. In Semitic languages, consonant roots and vowel roots are interleaved to create words. In this case, the vowel root a-a-a (probably indicating a verb, but honestly I’m just making an educated guess) combines with hmd to create hammada.

The primary syllable of Muhammad is “-hamm-”; it recalls the English word home, but instead of the vowel indicating a healthy, earthy energy, it is a connection to Source. In “-hamm-”, the Source energy originates from a place of safety and belonging, and results in manifestation. The first syllable, “mu-”, shows that the secure Source energy is manifested in a thoughtful and relaxed way; while the final syllable, “-ad”, shows that the manifestation of Source energy leads to a final decision.

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