'Tanamor': The Arabic word for bullying has bite

Its root letter also spawned the derivative nimr, which means tiger

Tanamor is the Arabic word for bullying. The National

There is a bite to this Arabic word of the week. Tanamor, which means bullying, refers to an ill-judged action that is targeted and repetitious, whether through language, gestures or silence.

Like most Arabic words, one of the most revealing aspects of tanamor is found in its trilateral root letters – noon, meem and ra – which spawn the derivative nimr, meaning tiger. That connection is not accidental.

Tanamor evokes the ferocity and dominance associated with the tiger. Historically, the link was used positively, with tanamor referring to someone displaying unabashed bravado, but over the years – particularly in education and psychology texts – it has been reframed to mean bullying, both in the real and online world.

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Tanamor is the Arabic word for bullying

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Therefore, the word 'tanamor' is now prevalent in anti-bullying campaigns, particularly variations of the phrase ma'an did al-tanamor, meaning “together against bullying,” which has been adopted by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Dubai Police and schools in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps because of its gravity and increasingly institutional tone, the word has been largely absent from the cultural sphere, including song lyrics and film titles.

On the flip side, the Arabic language offers equally weighty words to celebrate qualities that stand in contrast to tanamor. One of these is a word we may use casually without fully registering its meaning – Al Karama. It may be popularly known to UAE residents as a Dubai suburb or a central Abu Dhabi street, but its definition – dignity – also features in anti-bullying texts.

Once a word that celebrated boisterous behaviour, the evolution of tanamor reflects the dynamism of the Arabic language in giving shape to human experiences as they develop.