Tag Archives: vocabulary

Arabic’s Chameleon Words: قام

أَجْوَف root: ج-و-ف / adjective / definition: hollow Two weeks ago, in one of our Academic Arabic posts, we looked at the form I, hollow verb قامَ which—when followed by بِـ—means “to carry out or undertake”. But قام holds many meanings. And its meaning in any given place is dictated by the semantic and syntacticContinue reading “Arabic’s Chameleon Words: قام”

The Many Meanings of وَ

فَلَك root: ف-ل-ك / noun / plural: أَفْلاك / definition: celestial orbit July is waning and August, only four moonrises away, awaits expectantly. And I, in four new moons, reach 29 (or 30, Turkish-ly speaking) and all this talk of moons is sending me into an orbital spin. Whatever that may mean. And speaking ofContinue reading “The Many Meanings of وَ”

Academic Arabic: Carrying Out, Conducting, Doing

كادَ root: ك-و-د / form I past tense verb / definition: almost When was the last time I wrote an Academic Arabic post? Too long ago, clearly, because I almost forgot this series existed. But since my memory has been jogged, we’re getting back into it. And today, we’re looking at two widely-applicable Arabic verbsContinue reading “Academic Arabic: Carrying Out, Conducting, Doing”

Dictionary Finds: Come Rain or Shine

يَصيفُ root: ص-ي-ف / form I present tense, hollow verb / definition: to be summery It’s mid-July. Summer’s peak. And while most have their faces stubbornly positioned in a fan’s airpath, my own spectacled one has been nestled warmly into the dictionary’s pages. It seems that, come rain or shine, my mind will always beContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: Come Rain or Shine”

Same Rule, Another Noun: عِزون

مَعْرَج root: ع-ر-ج / noun of place / plural: مَعارِج / definition: place or route of ascent Over a year ago, in Non-Human Nouns, Human Plurals, we explored some non-human nouns that—unexpectedly—take on sound, masculine plural forms (which are usually reserved for nouns referring to humans). Think: سِنون and عالَمون and أولون. Or, with a differentContinue reading “Same Rule, Another Noun: عِزون”

Root Exploration: Venus, Mars, and Saturn

كَوْكَب root: ك-و-ك-ب / noun / plural: كَواكِب / definition: planet (compare with the Akkadian) Isn’t it ironic (or maybe just careless of me) that I placed all of my winter boots in storage just before the heavens opened over London last night and left us deluged in a mizzle-to-downpour pendulum. My friend questioned myContinue reading “Root Exploration: Venus, Mars, and Saturn”

Dictionary Finds: Zaʿtar, Saʿtar, and Ṣaʿtar

مِسْكين root: م-س-ك-ن / noun / plural: مَساكين / definition: poor thing If you know me in-person, you’ve probably been fortunate enough to be an unwilling spectator and/or listener to my gleeful blabbering about some dictionary find or linguistic observation. This weekend, my husband—yet again, مسكين…—was in the line of fire as I gushed aboutContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: Zaʿtar, Saʿtar, and Ṣaʿtar”

Fifteen Form XII Verbs in the Arabic Dictionary

اِصْطِناعي root: ص-ن-ع / nisba adjective / definition: artificial Since the rise of the AI search, the number of views my blog gets has tripped and faltered. It makes sense. Sometimes I myself type a grammar question into Google and—lo and behold—the AI overview summarises an answer (from none other than The Arabic Pages, theContinue reading “Fifteen Form XII Verbs in the Arabic Dictionary”