Some Arabic Words for “Darkness”

اِسْحِنْكاك

root: س-ح-ك / form XIV verbal noun / definition: to be extremely dark

Last week for me was full of meetings, meet-ups, appointments, and a good three-hour conversation over dinner. So my productivity and social battery, this week, are dragging their feet to recovery—and taking a few hits on the way.

But we’re on the up. And so is the number of synonyms I’ve been adding to this list today…

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“Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!”: Life Through Literature

غَزّة

root: غ-ز-ز / proper noun / definition: Gaza

A tidal wave of sleep overwhelmed me late yesterday afternoon, with its undercurrents pulling me further into the depths of somnia until I washed up on the shores of wakefulness this morning and listlessly stretched my way out of bed.

I basked in the sun for a while to soak in some energy. And as morning seeped into noon, we collected vine leaves from our garden trellis and, with it, rolled some dolma which is currently simmering on the hob.

Thank God for slow mornings.

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Reading Arabic Literature: Thinking Back

التَّمْر

root: ت-م-ر / collective noun / definition: dates

Akkadian class flew by this week as we ate dates and drank (only mê, water, not karān-am, wine) all in order to learn new vocabulary and begin talking about our daily routines.

I noted how the Akkadian word for “star”, kakkab-um, mirrors the Arabic كَوكَبٌ, kawkab-un, and I still haven’t worked out why it makes me so happy to see similarities between these two languages that I know are related.

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A Summer School, Sardinia, and Spent Ink

حِبْر

root: ح-ب-ر / noun / definition: ink

Never have I veered so close to spontaneity before.

It was a Thursday morning and I had just applied for a linguistics summer school—without realising that it was due to start just four days later in Sardinia’s capital, and that the deadline had passed weeks before.

Somehow, the admissions team accepted my application the following day. So, forty-something hours after I had booked my flight, I was atop Bastione di Saint Remy overlooking Cagliari, the mountains, and the sea.

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Arabic’s Chameleon Words: اهتمّ

حِرْباء

root: ح-ر-ب / noun / plural: حَرابي / definition: chameleon

There are many Arabic words from which multiple meanings bloom, taking on a certain one according to the context. A bit like how a chameleon adapts to its immediate environment.

Learning the meanings of these chameleon words is especially beneficial to us Arabic students because, well—and I’m sure there’s a more academic way of putting this—you get more bang for your buck.

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The لِ and كَ of Distance

هَزّاز

root: ه-ز-ز / adjective / definition: rocking

Even after ten sweet days in Morocco, there’s nothing like coming back home and falling into the gentle swing of my rocking chair. I rock, and lull my prodding thoughts about the angle of the chair’s swing into silence to make way for some other brain activity.

I planned to write another post today (as is often the case before I reach my keyboard), but my mind rocked back to a topic we touched on a while ago.

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Resource: Arabic Podcast Platform

ثَمانِية

root: ث-م-ن / noun / definition: eight

I came across the ثمانية podcast platform a few weeks back through a video on their YouTube channel and realised I’d stumbled upon another gem of a resource.

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Uncommon Arabic Words for the Soul

روح

root: ر-و-ح / noun / plural: أَرْواح / definition: soul

Having entered the ballot for the 2025 London Marathon back in April, I am only reassured of my athletic endurance by the fact that I can walk up the escalators at Bond Street station without my legs giving way or needing to stop for breath.

I’m not sure how well this translates into the ability to run the 26.2 miles if my name does get chosen, but I think it’s a good starting point.

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Dictionary Finds: a Spelling Mistake

إمْلاء

root: م-ل-ء / form IV verbal noun / definition: spelling, filling out

After I submitted my first-year PhD work last week, I had two days of conducting students’ oral exams followed by an unplanned overnight stay, then a wedding, then a Saturday outing and a Sunday (today) of ticking things off my to-do list.

It seems as though this coming week is going to get even busier as I realised today that I misread (i.e. didn’t read at all) an important form, and now I have four weekdays—thanks to the Bank Holiday—before I travel to sort things out before the deadline.

Someone once pointed out that I hyperfixate on irrelevant things when I’m stressed, and perhaps that’s why my mind won’t let go of something that I noticed in the dictionary…

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Two Other Ways to Refer to the Arabic Language

يَقْطين

root: ق-ط-ن / noun / definition: pumpkin

Somehow, and I really don’t know how, I managed to submit my PhD work earlier today despite it not being due until mid next week. I really thought I’d be last-minuting it on Wednesday until the midnight clock struck and I’d turn into a pumpkin… or however that story goes.

I’m grateful for my Friday meet-up in a café that’s become all too familiar which rendered the rest of the day unproductive, because it clearly motivated me to get things done this weekend. (Thanks for the coffee.)

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