An Egyptian dancing girl or female entertainer, particularly one in a 19th-century colonial setting; an alme or almee.
From Arabic 'al-'almah' (the learned one), derived from the root ''ilm' (knowledge). The term originally referred to a learned woman but was applied to entertainers in Egyptian contexts encountered by European travelers.
The almah fascinated Victorian Europe—they were often highly educated musicians and dancers who performed in Egyptian society, but colonial writers often misrepresented them in their travel writings!
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