Root Exploration: Venus, Mars, and Saturn

كَوْكَب

root: ك-و-ك-ب / noun / plural: كَواكِب / definition: planet (compare with the Akkadian)

Isn’t it ironic (or maybe just careless of me) that I placed all of my winter boots in storage just before the heavens opened over London last night and left us deluged in a mizzle-to-downpour pendulum.

My friend questioned my sanity—who told you to do that in British weather?

Valid. But a disappointing change-of-skies nonetheless.

Speaking of skies and the heavens: we’re heading to the planets today (well, to their dictionary entries) to explore the derivations of their names.

I’ve mentioned the names of the planets before, in my Space vocabulary list (and did you know some planets have more than one name in Arabic?), but it’s time to venture beyond.

Today, we’re focusing on Venus, Mars, and Saturn…

Venus

الزُهَرة

The term for Venus, الزُهَرَة, is derived from the triliteral root ز-ه-ر.

This root is associated with radiance and shine. الزهرة literally means “the radiant one“.

And it’s no surprise: because Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky as we observe it. It’s (on a space-scale) close to Earth, and its surface is highly reflective.

Its root is also associated with beauty. You might recognise another of its derivatives: زَهْرة, flower.

Mars

مِرّيخ، المِرّيخ

Mars, whose name can carry or omit the definite prefix (مِرّيخ or المِرّيخ), comes from the root م-ر-خ.

The root م-ر-خ produces meanings related to anointing or applying oil.

From the root, we get the noun مِرّيخ which refers to an arrow designed to shoot into the far distance. Now, apparently, this type of arrow would be marked with red (relating back to the meaning of anointing or applying liquid to something).

So, the planet Mars was named after this type of red-marked arrow as it’s also characterised by its blotchy reddish appearance.

We can cautiously translate المريخ as “the one anointed with red“.

Oh, and another term for Mars is القاهِر—“the conqueror”. Can you work out why?

Saturn

زُحَل

We’ve arrived at Saturn, زُحَل, from the root ز-ح-ل.

Verbs from this root mean “to move away from” or “to withdraw or retreat“.

The noun زُحَل carries the meaning of the active participle: “the one who withdraws“. Saturn is so-called because of its remoteness, it seems.

I can’t help but link its name to the grand tack hypothesis too, which suggests Jupiter and Saturn used to be closer to the Sun, then—affected by each other’s gravity—withdrew to the outer Solar System.

Perhaps that had nothing to do with the naming (what do you think?), but it’s interesting (to me) anyway.

Don’t forget to check out last week’s post, The Levantine بِدّي and a Weekly Request, if you haven’t already! See you soon.

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