nisma

Nisma is an Arabic word meaning a light breeze or breath. It is a feminine noun from the triliteral root ن-س-م, typically written as نسمة in Arabic and transliterated into English as nisma, nasma, or nasmah, depending on transliteration conventions. In both classical and modern Arabic, the term refers to a gentle current of air, often a pleasant, cool breeze. The word can also be used figuratively to imply a moment of life, a hint, or a delicate trace of something, and it is common in poetry and prose for conveying atmosphere or mood.

Because of its pleasant connotations, nisma is sometimes used as a given name in Arabic-speaking and other Muslim‑majority communities. In Latin letters it is often rendered as Nisma or Nismah, and it may appear alongside related names such as Naseema or Nasima, which share the same root meaning breath or breeze.

The word is related to nasim, another Arabic term meaning “breeze” or “gentle wind,” and it is common for similar roots to appear in names and literary expressions. Nisma can also occur in borrowed forms or adaptations in other languages influenced by Arabic, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East.

There is no distinct technical field associated with nisma; its primary usage is lexical, literary, and onomastic, referring to air, freshness, and the figurative sense of life or atmosphere.