اِستِطْراد root: ط-ر-د / form X verbal noun / definition: digression I was browsing my notes on Notion, seeking inspiration for today’s post, when one little word pulled at my eyelashes and demanded attention. So the title thus began to take form, and I headed to the dictionary where my semantics addiction took hold andContinue reading “Arabic Observations: Reflections on حصحص and the Truth”
Tag Archives: dictionary
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Future”
اللّامَعْنى root: ع-ن-ي / compound abstract noun / definition: meaninglessness The clocks went back the day before yesterday and, like every year, it feels like someone somewhere switched off the warming daylight and left us in a cold, dark wintertime. I think about how a shift of just an hour changes so much, and IContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Future””
Uncontactable and Unread
اِختِفاء root: خ-ف-ي / form VIII verbal noun / definition: disappearance For those who have found me almost uncontactable—of whom I must mention: journal co-editors, my Akkadian teacher, and dear friends whose messages lie in wait in my Whatsapp unreads—I apologise for my unexplained disappearance. You see, there was an unexpected meeting. Then, a chosenContinue reading “Uncontactable and Unread”
Arabic Observations: Solace Through Forgetting
التَّأَمُّل root: ء-م-ل / form V verbal noun / definition: reflection, contemplation I’ve been in a reflective mood lately. And it’s the type of reflection that is directly opposed to productivity rather than one that drives it: consuming, daydreamy, paralysing. As such, it made sense for me to write a reflective post today, adding toContinue reading “Arabic Observations: Solace Through Forgetting”
A Useful Structure: ما إن ـــــ حتى ـــــ
إبْريق root: ب-ر-ق / noun / plural: أَباريق / definition: teapot, jug With the pouring of a never-emptying teapot and the stealing of smiling glances, another Sunday passed and this week has left me in unfamiliar but exciting territory. I served the dolma and wondered if any of the leaves had gotten stuck between myContinue reading “A Useful Structure: ما إن ـــــ حتى ـــــ”
A Final Call, a Third Year
نِداء root: ن-د-و / noun / plural: نِداءات / definition: call, public announcement If you saw four dishevelled passengers racing through Istanbul Airport to catch their transfer flight and making it just before their gate closed on Saturday evening… that was me and my family. Gate F1—why did you have to be so far. AContinue reading “A Final Call, a Third Year”
Form VI: Gradualness, Exchange, and Pretence
التَّدَرُّج root: د-ر-ج / form V verbal noun / definition: gradual advance or progression I’ve gone straight from floating to hitting the ground running. And between that landing and my approaching take-off, things have progressed unexpectedly quickly in the space of a week. I could get used to this pace. But Arabic’s form VI verbsContinue reading “Form VI: Gradualness, Exchange, and Pretence”
Four Weeks, and Three Arabic Phrases
العَوْم root: ع-و-م / form I verbal noun / definition: floating I returned to London yesterday with my glasses broken, heart full, and mind a mess. Those four weeks in Majorca, in my childhood home and bedroom with the sea-blue curtains I’ve had for the past twenty years, felt like too little time to honourContinue reading “Four Weeks, and Three Arabic Phrases”
Dictionary Finds: A Page of Woe
مُخَلِّص root: خ-ل-ص / form II active participle / definition: saviour, Salvador These days, I’ve been thinking a lot about Salvador—the diabetic former boxer who drove my mum and I to the airport two years ago. He was driving between motorway lanes whilst scrolling through photos on his phone to share with us and pullingContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: A Page of Woe”
From an Airport, into the Blur
مَطار root: ط-ي-ر / noun of place / plural: مَطارات / definition: airport I’m writing this from a quiet(er) corner of Gatwick’s North Terminal after arriving four hours early, burdened with overstuffed cabin bags and guilt from having to throw away an unopened pint of milk before I left home. Even after a sit-down matchaContinue reading “From an Airport, into the Blur”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Past”
حُلْم root: ح-ل-م / noun / plural: أَحْلام / definition: dream A few nights ago, I had a series of vivid dreams—each storyline defined and profound in and of itself. And yet I couldn’t help but to try to tie those threads together in my fervent hunt for “greater meaning”. I think that sums upContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Past””
Dictionary Finds: بقيت دار لقمان على حالها
دار root: د-و-ر / noun / plural: دِيار / definition: home I had this idea a few days ago to vlog a week in my life as a PhD student. And now, every action poses a conundrum. Like, do I record the aftermath of my disastrous attempt to bake a sugar-free brownie without a recipeContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: بقيت دار لقمان على حالها”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Hour”
سائِع root: س-و-ع / form I active participle / definition: abandoned Do you remember, back in January, when we explored why سنة is longer than عام? Well, we’re back with the Exploring Time series—and this time we’re taking a deep dive into the Arabic word for “hour”. And it’s more interesting than you might expect…
Dictionary Finds: رَحَموت
الرَّحْمة root: ر-ح-م / noun / definition: mercy I can summarise my PhD progress today by saying that I eventually won the wrestle with page numbers on my running thesis draft. Of course the developers had to make that difficult, because God forbid someone would want the numbering to start on page 3 rather thanContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: رَحَموت”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: Is سنة Longer than عام?
سَنَة root: س-ن-ه or س-ن / noun / definition: year Both سَنة and عام are translated into English as “year”, and they’re used interchangeably. So why does the dictionary tell us that one of these years is longer than the other? What’s the real difference between these two words?
Dictionary Finds: أَبَّ
الرُّجوع root: ر-ج-ع / form I verbal noun / definition: to return Do you ever let your mind wander, then pull it back, then realise the wandering might have been going somewhere? Let me explain.
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Tomorrow”
غَدًا root: غ-د-و / adverb of time / definition: tomorrow In the new Exploring Time series last week, we took a trip to yesterday. This week, we’re looking ahead: exploring how we can understand the notion of tomorrow through the Arabic dictionary. (Yes, we’re skipping today—call me future-thinking or something.)
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Yesterday”
أَمْسُ root: ء-م-س / noun / definition: yesterday Some places make you feel as though you’ve stepped back into a distant yesterday or an even further yesteryear. And walking through Souq al Wakra at night, past its cosy courtyards snuggled into alleys meandering towards the coast, I’d set foot into a yesterday I was livingContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Yesterday””
Arabic’s Chameleon Words: أدّى
المَغرِب root: غ-ر-ب / proper noun / definition: Morocco This week, I’ve been missing Morocco and discovering Taiwanese fried chicken. I’m not sure there’s a direct link there, but who knows? It’s been six weeks in which the Sun has greened my eyes and I can’t fathom returning to London in ten. I’ve been embracingContinue reading “Arabic’s Chameleon Words: أدّى”
Form I Active Participles of Hollow Roots
فَراغ root: ف-ر-غ / noun / definition: void, emptiness I’m wrapping up my last week in London for the next few months on the emptiness of fallen-through plans and the urge to claw out a silent space to curl up in and calm my mind. In the corner of my field of vision, I seeContinue reading “Form I Active Participles of Hollow Roots”
The Arabic Pages 