‖n. [ Written also hammal, hummaul, hamaul, khamal, etc. ] [ Turk. & Ar. hammāl, fr. Ar. hamala to carry. ] In Turkey and other Oriental countries, a porter or burden bearer; specif., in Western India, a palanquin bearer. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]
(n) a militant Islamic fundamentalist political movement that opposes peace with Israel and uses terrorism as a weapon; seeks to create an Islamic state in place of Israel; is opposed to the PLO and has become a leading perpetrator of terrorist activity in Israel; pioneered suicide bombing, Syn. Islamic Resistance Movement