Tag Archives: synonyms

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 beatContinue reading “Uncommon Arabic Words for Clouds”

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 forcesContinue reading “Solidarity and Coming Together: Seven Verbal Nouns in Arabic”

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…

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 areContinue reading “Seven Arabic Phrases Meaning “and so on””

Arabic Synonyms Meaning “Resistance”

ثَلْج root: ث-ل-ج / noun / plural: ثُلوج / definition: snow, ice I couldn’t resist wrapping up in all my layers this morning around sunrise to venture out into the garden and ramble through the thick snow blanketing the decking. My mum handed me some dried remnants of the floral arrangements we’ve had displayed aroundContinue reading “Arabic Synonyms Meaning “Resistance””

Six Arabic Words for “Ocean” or “Sea”

ماء root: م-و-ه / noun / plural: مِياه / definition: water Autumn is officially here. And I’m sure of this because I’m wearing two pairs of socks, as I’m forced to every autumn or winter because my feet turn to ice—although my parents always tell me it’s not that cold and walk around as thoughContinue reading “Six Arabic Words for “Ocean” or “Sea””

Three Arabic Verbs for “to Show”

الثُّلاثاء root: ث-ل-ث / noun / definition: Tuesday Tuesday feels a little sleepy this week but I have no time to nap. My weekend was spent packing up the things I had left in my university flat which involved an eight-hour round trip (actually, nine with the traffic on the way back) and no progressContinue reading “Three Arabic Verbs for “to Show””

Three Ways to Say “Seize the Opportunity” in Arabic

حَرّ root: ح-ر-ر / noun / definition: heat I’ve been making the most of the heat and sun these two days with (very) mini sunbathing sessions in the garden fuelled by several litres of water and regular respite inside the somewhat-cooler house. Living in the UK, I feel like I need to make the mostContinue reading “Three Ways to Say “Seize the Opportunity” in Arabic”

Four Words for “Contradiction” in Arabic

قِطار root: ق-ط-ر / noun / plural: قِطارات / definition: train I’m back in London as of Sunday and I’m relieved. It feels much less… claustrophobic. The two-hour train journey here was neither fun nor productive though, because although I had planned to get some dissertation reading done on the journey, I only managed aboutContinue reading “Four Words for “Contradiction” in Arabic”

Some Form VI Verbs for “to Compete with One Another”

مُنافَسة root: ن-ف-س / verbal noun of form III / plural: مُنافَسات / definition: competition Form VI verbs typically refer to some sort of exchange, or mutual action. And competition, by nature, involves mutual participation. So let’s explore some of the form VI verbs that mean “to compete with one another”, and the roots they’reContinue reading “Some Form VI Verbs for “to Compete with One Another””

Eight Ways to Say “to Die” in Arabic

وَفاة root: و-ف-ي / noun / plural: وَفَيات / definition: death There’s life… and there’s death. And we have to know how to talk about both in Arabic. So I thought I’d compile a (non-exhaustive) list of words and phrases we can use to talk about the latter. (On a side note: a pat onContinue reading “Eight Ways to Say “to Die” in Arabic”

Four Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Urge”

مُغامَرة root: غ-م-ر / noun / plural: مُغامَرات / definition: adventure Somehow, my classmates and I are nearly halfway through our Amman adventure, and with all the new words and phrases we’ve been picking up, I couldn’t resist writing a vocabulary-based post this week. Now the specific set of synonyms in this post—which all meanContinue reading “Four Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Urge””

The False/Adjective إضافة

إضافة root: ض-ي-ف / verbal noun of form IV / definition: addition, genitive construction So we all know the إضافة, right? It’s a construction where nouns are put together, with certain rules, to indicate possession. Well… Did you know we can actually use adjectives inside إضافة constructions? I know this probably sounds contradictory to everythingContinue reading “The False/Adjective إضافة”

Two Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Harbour Feelings”

شُعور root: ش-ع-ر / noun / plural: مَشاعِر / definition: feeling, emotion After writing a 4000-word essay in a matter of days and sleepily submitting it at midnight, I’m finally feeling ready to jump into term two at university! And speaking of feelings (…smooth transition there), this week I wanted to show you two ArabicContinue reading “Two Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Harbour Feelings””

Diminutives in Arabic

صَغير root: ص-غ-ر / adjective / definition: small A diminutive is a modified word used to express smallness. Think of the English word duckling, derived from duck. In Arabic, the diminutive is referred to as التَّصغير—a verbal noun meaning “to make smaller”. So how can we recognise and form diminutives in Arabic?

Three Ways to Say “Bloodshed” in Arabic

دَم root: د-م / noun / plural: دِماء / definition: blood Yes, yes, I know this word seems quite specific compared to the others in the synonyms series, but that’s why I was so interested when I found three Arabic phrases for the English term “bloodshed”. And—in all honestly, and quite unfortunately—with the topics universitiesContinue reading “Three Ways to Say “Bloodshed” in Arabic”

Three Arabic Words for “Obstacle”

صَعْب root: ص-ع-ب / adjective / definition: difficult Last week’s Wehr Wednesdays post included an Arabic word meaning “obstacle”, which is just one of those words that you’ll use frequently when writing Arabic essays or the like. So I thought why not look at three of the most common Arabic translations for it here? Interestingly,Continue reading “Three Arabic Words for “Obstacle””

Four Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Listen”

أُذن root: ء-ذ-ن / noun / plural: آذان / definition: ear A few months ago, we took a look at a plethora of Arabic words that all mean “to look at”. Now, we’re adding to the synonyms series by exploring another common verb related to one of the senses: “to listen“!