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V for Vizier
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Vizier – The only place I have come across this word commonly is while reading Akbar and Birbal stories as a child.
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Learned Ulema
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Ulema – A word present in the Oxford English Dictionary though not commonly used/known by the English speaking community ! (.. and yay, it being in the Dictionary helped out the fact I am not entry-less for U! Win :D) Ulema means a body of Muslim scholars who are recognized as having specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology. (Scheduled posts. Apologise again for not catching up on your blogs!)
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Tamarind Taste !
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. This entry would be by far my fave. It has combination of Arabic and India ! Yay 😀 In most South Indian dishes, we have a common ingredient for its sweetish sour taste -Tamarind. Little did I know until now, the Arabic origin to the name ! My grandmother used to keep salted Tamarind out in the sun for it to dry. I used to eat them without her knowing (and have a stomach ache later in the night!) Ah. Sweet Childhood memories…
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S for Safari
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. When Zoos gives us a glimpse into wildlife just for a photographic instant, Safaris open up our knowledge to the ways of wild animals ! Ever been on a Safari? The only one I have been to was at Bannerghata National Park, Bangalore, India.
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Ream of Sheets
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Today’s post is about yet another commonly used word – ream. Often used in terms of bundle of sheets for printer etc. Meaning – 1. number of sheets of paper, formerly 480 sheets (short ream), now 500 sheets (long ream) or 516 sheets (printer’s ream or perfect ream). One ream is equal to 20 quires 2. (often plural) a large quantity, esp of written matter [Collins English Dictionary] (Apologies for not visiting your blogs/replying to comments since two days. On a short vacation.…
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Qur’an – A literary miracle
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Qur’an is the Holy Book for the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world. Mexico to Philippines, Sweden to Johannesburg, the language, the words, the pronunciation and the way of recitation of the Holy Qur’an remains the same. And so has it been for the past 1400 years ! Besides it being the spiritual guidebook for Muslims worldwide, it is also a book of literary miracles with every harakath, every thanween and every word having a meaning or reason for it’s usage. The soulful recitation…
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Primum mobile
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. ….thus starts some of the difficult alphabets. Yet, I learnt a new word in doing my research for this challenge. Primum Mobile – (Astronomy) the outermost empty sphere in the Ptolemaic system that was thought to revolve around the earth from east to west in 24 hours carrying with it the inner spheres of the planets, sun, moon, and fixed stars. Also means prime mover.
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Orange Zest
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. A fruit and a colour which gives a fresh and vibrant feeling. Orange ! Orange surely has come a long way !
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N for Nadir
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Nādir (نادر – meaning “rare”, “unique”) is a common name for boys amongst Muslims. Hence, I was quite surprised when I found out there is an English word ‘Nadir’ which holds a completely different meaning – lowest point, all-time low, rock bottom. (More than half way of A to Z Challenge! Yay! )
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Blogging goals
When I started blogging on WordPress at the beginning of this year, my goal was basically to delve into the realm of creative writing using prompts. In short, to write more ! My writing mainly revolves over spirituality, books and personal reflections. Having gone through a severe quarter life crisis, my faith and the written word are what has helped me to keep going through the tough times. As I interact more with different people around the globe and read countless blogs, I truly realize the effect a few positive words can have on an individual we haven’t met or will never meet in this lifetime ! My aim with…
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Magazines and childhood
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. My childhood was filled with magazines like Young Times, Reader’s Digest, Children’s Digest and comics like Tinkle and Archies and Enid Blyton books. Thus started my love affair with the written word. Today’s word has by far the most interesting etymology and also shows us the way words change in meaning over centuries and borders. Any Enid blyton fans here? Or old readers of Young Times? I leave you with a front cover of an old issue of Young Times. Kids who grew…
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A lemon day.
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Who doesn’t love a chilled lemonade on a sunny afternoon? The more I research for this challenge, the more I realize how many common words in English are of Arabic origin.
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Kohl-lined eyes
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Way before MAC and Maybelline were in trend in the West, Eastern women used to line their shapely beautiful eyes with black Kohl. To this day, Kohl remains a cosmetic necessity in many Eastern cultures. Kohl is usually applied with the help of a stick and requires practice. What is your favourite eye-make up?
