Uncommon Arabic Words for Clouds

بَرْد

root: ب-ر-د / noun / definition: cold

I spent last week roaming around Granada, charmed by its old streets of whitewashed houses, the views of majestic snow-capped mountains, and the stunningly detailed architecture of Alhambra (الحَمراء)—not to mention the Moroccan-style souqs and the flamenco dancers in the square whose stamping feet became the beat to which my trip played out.

And despite the cold that numbed my photo-taking hands in the early mornings, I still managed to come home with sunburn nearing the colour of a Granadan pomegranate (and that’s after spending €17 on a miniscule bottle of sunscreen, which may as well have been tanning oil).

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Quinquiliteral Arabic Roots

خُماسيّ

root: خ-م-س / adjective / definition: consisting of five consonants

I have just a matter of hours before I’m due to catch a flight, and an unexpected nap earlier means that I’m now two to-dos behind on my to-do list, with writing this post being in prime position.

Anyhow, you’ve read about my obsession with Arabic quadriliterals (words derived from four-letter roots) before, but do you know something rarer than a quadriliteral? A quinquiliteral.

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Dictionary Finds: جِفتلِك

نَفَس

root: ن-ف-س / noun / plural: أَنْفاس / definition: breath

For the first time in a while, I feel like I can take a breath. And I can feel my creativity, whose absence I’ve been mourning for the past few weeks, rushing back as though floodgates have suddenly been lifted.

What a relief!

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Form I Defective Verbs: ا or و or ي or ى?

ناقِص

root: ن-ق-ص / active participle of form I / definition: defective, incomplete

Defective verbs are those with either ي or و as their final root letter. For defective verbs, this final root letter appears as one of four letters when conjugated: ا or و or ي or ى. So, how can we tell what form the final root letter takes in these verbs?

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Solidarity and Coming Together: Seven Verbal Nouns in Arabic

كارِثة

root: ك-ر-ث / noun / plural: كَوارِث / definition: catastrophe

We’ve all no doubt heard about the earthquakes that struck this week, affecting parts of Türkiye and Syria. And perhaps most of us have seen photos and videos of the catastrophic consequences.

Alongside the horrors, we’ve also seen people coming together and joining forces to help and, even from afar, people standing in solidarity.

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Uncommon Arabic Words for Colours

لَوْن

root: ل-و-ن / noun / plural: أَلْوان / definition: colour

I opened my laptop intending to write a different type of post today, but when I saw a certain note in my phone, I decided that this Tuesday would be the start of a whole new series of posts: Uncommon Arabic Words for…

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Seven Arabic Phrases Meaning “and so on”

مَهارة

root: م-ه-ر / noun / plural: مَهارات / definition: skill

A great way to hint at your remarkable ability to provide countless examples in a list (thereby convincing whoever’s reading your essay of your expert knowledge of the topic), is to end your lists with a phrase like “and so on”.

So, what are some of the ways we can say “and so on” in Arabic? Let’s take a look:

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Arabic Headline Analysis #8

مِقْرَعَة

root: ق-ر-ع / noun / plural: مَقارِع / definition: door knocker

In the photo above is the newspaper page, dated 1991, that was used to wrap up the ornate brass door knocker I bought from an artisan workshop on my last day in Agadir. The newspaper page is now folded up and nestled between some empty notebooks I bought in Istanbul (I’m waiting for something revolutionary to fill them with…) and a stack of Arabic dictionaries and reference books.

The door knocker itself currently has no use, by the way. But it’ll look absolutely beautiful on the door of my Mediterranean dream house I’ve designed and constructed in my mind. The cherry on the cake… without the cake, for now.

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Dictionary Finds: ماخِرة

عام

root: ع-و-م / noun / plural: أَعْوام / definition: year

We’re some days into 2023 now, around the time where resolutions begin to break down and the glossy new year starts to feel like any other. Except, of course, for those who didn’t bother with resolutions, determined to avoid failure at all costs.

But if your resolution by any chance was to explore some more of the Arabic dictionary (a popular choice, of course), then I’m here to help you fulfil that one…

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