A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
كفكف kafkafa to hold back (هـ tears)
Root: ك-ف-ك-ف
Page: 976*
Example: “حاوَلَت أَنْ تُكَفكِفَ دُموعَها”
Translation: “she tried to hold back tears”
Notes:
- The verb كَفكَفَ / يُكَفكِفُ is a reduplicated form I quadriliteral—its duplicated equivalent is كَفَّ / يَكُفُّ. For more on the link between duplicated and reduplicated roots, check out Arabic Observations: Duplicated Roots with Reduplicated Forms
- The most recent post, Dictionary Finds: the Curious Case of the Question Mark, featured two reduplicated quadriliterals!
Revise all of the vocab from the series on Quizlet:
* The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th Edition
The Arabic Pages 
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