Tag Archives: vocabulary

Uncommon Arabic Words for the Soul

روح root: ر-و-ح / noun / plural: أَرْواح / definition: soul Having entered the ballot for the 2025 London Marathon back in April, I am only reassured of my athletic endurance by the fact that I can walk up the escalators at Bond Street station without my legs giving way or needing to stop forContinue reading “Uncommon Arabic Words for the Soul”

Dictionary Finds: a Spelling Mistake

إمْلاء root: م-ل-ء / form IV verbal noun / definition: spelling, filling out After I submitted my first-year PhD work last week, I had two days of conducting students’ oral exams followed by an unplanned overnight stay, then a wedding, then a Saturday outing and a Sunday (today) of ticking things off my to-do list.Continue reading “Dictionary Finds: a Spelling Mistake”

Case Endings on the Alif Maqsoora (ى)

مَقْصور root: ق-ص-ر / form I passive participle / definition: limited, shortened I’ve been thinking recently about this blog. Well, of course I have—I’ve been writing posts twice a week, every week, for four-and-a-half years now—I can’t think of a way not to think about it. But I guess my dedication to writing here doesContinue reading “Case Endings on the Alif Maqsoora (ى)”

Three Arabic Verbs for “to Announce”

إِعْلان root: ع-ل-ن / noun / plural: إعْلانات / definition: announcement, declaration There’s a lot on my mind as we approach the end of Ramadan, and I’m faced with some decisions that I didn’t expect to have to make. Decisions that will impact the course of my studies—and life in general—for at least the nextContinue reading “Three Arabic Verbs for “to Announce””

Resource: Recorded Lectures from a Palestinian University

مُسَجَّل root: س-ج-ل / adjective, form II passive participle / definition: recorded When you’ve written hundreds of posts like I have on this blog, you start to forget what you have and haven’t posted about. And I was half-certain I’d mentioned this resource before on here, but—after a few seconds with the search box—I guessContinue reading “Resource: Recorded Lectures from a Palestinian University”

Arabic-Turkish Observations: Imprinting

بَصْمَة root: ب-ص-م / noun / plural: بَصَمات / definition: imprint, impression This will probably be the last post I write on this laptop of mine, which has been slowly spiriting away in recent times after having survived with me through the second half of the pandemic, a remote job, a master’s degree, a fewContinue reading “Arabic-Turkish Observations: Imprinting”

Using إيّا and an Object Pronoun

مُقابَلة root: ق-ب-ل / noun / plural: مُقابَلات / definition: interview I woke up very early on Monday morning to a sprawling breakout across my forehead and scratches across my chest that weren’t there the night before—two signs telling me I was stressed. Not that I didn’t know it, because I had a 7:30am interviewContinue reading “Using إيّا and an Object Pronoun”

Five Arabic Words Meaning “Nightmare”

فَوْضى root: ف-و-ض / noun / definition: chaos I’ve just emailed a wonderfully chaotic draft of a PhD chapter to my supervisor who, if he’s reading this post, might scoff at the word “wonderfully” coming anywhere near the mention of that calamitous document—the second half of which is a roaring pandemonium of red font andContinue reading “Five Arabic Words Meaning “Nightmare””