Disputed etymology with most connecting it back to عُمَانَة (ʕumāna) considered a by-name of the city صُحَار (ṣuḥār), the most prevalent city-state at the time the name became associated with the region as a whole. Considered derived from the root ع م ن (ʕ m n) meaning, "to settle or remain", "to dwell", "a place where one enters and chooses to stay", "to be abiding or a lasting settlement", "a plain or easy country".