Baath

Meanings

1. The Arab Socialist Baath Party, a secular Arab socialist political party present in several countries in the Middle East, most prominently Iraq and Syria.

Etymology

From Arabic بَعْث (baʕṯ, “resurrection”), part of the party's official name, حِزْب البَعْث العَرَبِيّ الاِشْتِرَاكِيّ (ḥizb al-baʕṯ al-ʕarabiyy al-ištirākiyy, literally “the party of the Arab socialist resurrection”). The sequence ــَعْـ (aʿ) is often rendered as ⟨aa⟩ in English; compare Baalbek for بَعْلَبَكّ (baʕlabakk), the Kaaba for الكَعْبَة (al-kaʕba), Saad (name) for سَعْد (saʕd), or zaatar for زَعْتَر (zaʕtar).