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G is for Giraffe
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. It looks like it’s an animal week for me. The long-necked Giraffe is always a favourite for the children while at the zoo. How has the A to Z Challenge been so far?
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Fox, firefox and fennec
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. I begin this week by introducing a cute furry fox, commonly called as the fennec – a nocturnal fox found in the deserts of Sahara. Or better still, we would know ‘fennec’ as the code name of the Mozilla Firefox for Mobile web browser !
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Elixir of life
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. Paulo Coelho is one of the contemporary writers who has introduced Arabic words like Maktoob and Zahir to the mainstream English readers. Yet, there is a common English word, used in the book ‘The Alchemist’ which too has an Arabic origin. Any guesses? Opinions on the book ‘The Alchemist’?
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Arabic and Anatomy – Dura mater
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. I loved memorizing the names of different parts of brain during my first year Anatomy class in college. Cerebrum, cerebellum and Medulla Oblongata. Or the three layers of meninges – Dura mater, Pia mater and Arachnoid. I felt they had a musical twist to it while reading it loudly, in an effort to memorize all these new words for the first time ! Guess which of those names have an Arabic connection to them? Any interesting first day of Anatomy-dissection-class stories ?
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Coffee in a nutshell
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 Only in the Arab world can you see a Starbucks Coffee and a Qahwa joint in the same street. Rarely, do we realize the underlying connection between both the Eastern and Western word and worlds. What is your morning drink? Tea, Coffee or none? I leave you with this still from Gilmore Girls. Lorelai Gilmore and her famous love for coffee ! (This month will fly. I am sure. Already the third day of the A to Z Challenge. How are you people…
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Bezoar of Harry Potter fame
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 Along with Harry, Hermione and Ron, every Harry Potter fan too would have learnt about the “Bezoar” in the first year Potion’s class. Did you know the word ‘Bezoar’ had an Arabic connection to it? We should learn the concept of coexistence from languages – Every language is influenced by other languages across borders, culture and centuries. Did the Harry Potter books inspire you to get into the habit of reading as a teenager/young adult?
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The wor(l)d of Algebra
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 As a high schooler, what was your reaction on seeing (a+b)2 = a2+b2+2ab ? Algebra… some people love it, others detest it and yet others wonder about the connection between x, y and the real world. Let us look in to the origin of this word which denotes a fascinating branch of mathematics. What was your high school math experience like? Number freak or x, y hater? (The first post in the A to Z Challenge. Excited )
