Tag Archives: vocabulary

Reading Arabic Literature: Vocabulary That Caught My Eye

إطْلاق root: ط-ل-ق / form IV verbal noun / definition: launch I quietly launched The Arabic Pages shop a few days ago, with the first designs inspired by the uncommon Arabic word for “moonlessness” that we explored in Wehr Wednesdays #175. (You might say it’s slightly ironic, then, that the design features an undeniably-present illustrationContinue reading “Reading Arabic Literature: Vocabulary That Caught My Eye”

Dictionary Finds: the Curious Case of the Question Mark

اِستِفهام root: ف-ه-م / form X verbal noun / definition: inquiry, question For me, this week has been characterised by a lovely long chat in a cosy café, arranging a flurry of travel vaccinations, and adding some fresh ideas to my growing list of side hustles. I don’t remember what I was doing, however, whenContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: the Curious Case of the Question Mark”

Arabic Observations: the True Meanings of Poetry

اِرتِباط root: ر-ب-ط / form VIII verbal noun / plural: اِرتِباطات / definition: connection, link During one of your sessions journeying through an Arabic dictionary, you might have stumbled upon the entry for شِعْر, and maybe you also noticed how it has two primary meanings: knowledge and poetry. (You’ll find quite a nice phrase underContinue reading “Arabic Observations: the True Meanings of Poetry”

Root Exploration: ج-ن-ح

طائِرة root: ط-ي-ر / active participle of form I / plural: طائِرات / definition: airplane A wise woman I met in the Jordanian desert told me to always have my next flight booked before the end of a trip. Good advice that I didn’t take at the time, and that now has me searching forContinue reading “Root Exploration: ج-ن-ح”

Meanings of ما لم

مَجَرّة root: ج-ر-ر / noun / plural: مَجَرّات / definition: galaxy Four 5.5-hour flights in a matter of weeks seem to have taken their toll on my body, but my mind is alive with the memories of a night under the Milky Way on Wadi Rum’s dunes, a sunset from the mountaintop in Wadi Musa,Continue reading “Meanings of ما لم”

Three Arabic Phrases Meaning “to Take Someone’s Place”

اِستِبْدال root: ب-د-ل / verbal noun of form X / definition: replacement Back in December, we explored the مَـ of place and time. Today, we’re taking a look at three phrases meaning “to take someone or something’s place” that combine a verb with a place noun from the same root:

Strangeness and a Summer of Reading

غَريب root: غ-ر-ب / adjective / definition: strange Orhan Pamuk’s A Strangeness in My Mind has been sitting on the tiny, just-enough-space-for-tea-and-a-book shelf beside my bed, having remained unopened for far too long after I’d got into it and read a decent amount. I’m not sure why it’s hard for me to pick it backContinue reading “Strangeness and a Summer of Reading”

Imperatives of Sound Form I Verbs

سَجّادة root: س-ج-د / noun / plural: سَجاجيد / definition: carpet On the weekend, I returned from an expectation-exceeding week-long stay in beautiful Baku, Azerbaijan. And I would jump on the five-and-a-half hour flight again in a heartbeat, even just to get my hands on the perfect xalça that I didn’t have time to shopContinue reading “Imperatives of Sound Form I Verbs”

Dictionary Finds: Collocations of شقّ

جَوّ root: ج-و-و / noun / plural: أَجْواء / definition: air, atmosphere I try to evoke, in my physical spaces, an air of refreshing minimalism. My bedroom walls, for example, are washed in white and bare, save the two (white) floating shelves and narrow (white) floating desk that quite subtly jut out along one side.Continue reading “Dictionary Finds: Collocations of شقّ”