'Kibreet': Arabic word for matchstick evokes hellfire and alchemical balance

It also signifies sulphur, with meanings that echo the element's many uses

Before it came to mean matchstick, the Arabic word kibreet referred to sulphur, with meanings that were perplexingly contradictory but echoed the manifold uses of the element.

For farmers, it is used as a pesticide, vital for the safety of their crops and livelihood. Doctors use it for skin ailments, primarily acne, with creams, lotions and ointments containing the element. And, of course, it is still a component in gunpowder.

Historically, sulphur’s importance was even greater. Arab alchemists saw kibreet as a foundational element, with fiery and masculine principles, in contrast with mercury (zaybaq), which was seen as a symbolising femininity and fluidity.

The 8th century scholar Jabir ibn Hayyan posited that all metals were a balance between sulphur and mercury, with gold formed in perfect equilibrium. Ibn Hayyan is documented to have used sulphur to prepare acids and chemical compounds.

The Arabic word for sign is aya. All photos: The National

The Arabic word for cat is qita

Laban is the Arabic word for milk

Mosa, or Moses in English, is mentioned 136 times in the Quran

The Arabic word for ownership is tamalouk

The Arabic word for mint is ne’ena’a

Shuback is the Arabic word for window

Hilal is Arabic for crescent

Musafir, the Arabic word for traveller, is often used in music and poetry, evoking a sense of longing and passion

Raqaba, the Arabic word for neck, can also denote caution and scrutiny

Ithin, the Arabic word for permission, has many bureaucratic uses

The Arabic word for chair is kursee

Faten is Arabic name that has many spiritual and poetic meanings

The Arabic word for embroidery is tatreez

Zarafa is Arabic for giraffe

The Arabic word for dignity, honour and respect is izza

Hewi is the Emirati word for front garden

Lahja is the Arabic word for dialect

Muratabat is often translated as refreshments

Handasa is the Arabic word for engineering

The Arabic word for octopus is akhtaboot

The Arabic word for mightiness is jabarut

The Arabic word kibriyaa, often seen in Quranic verses, speaks to might and humility

Junoon is the Arabic word for madness and obsession

Adheem is commonly translated as great, magnificent or mighty

Tanamor is the Arabic word for bullying

The Arabic word for forgetfulness and oblivion is alnisyan

Yallah, the Arabic word for 'let's go', is an expression of urgency, encouragement or even impatience

The Arabic word majlis, rooted in Bedouin tradition, refers to a space for hospitality and dialogue

Falaj is Arabic for water channel

Ne'meh is Arabic for blessing

The Arabic word sumud means resilience and steadfastness

The Arabic word for mountain is jabal

Kibreet is Arabic for matchstick

Sahaba means cloud in Arabic

Qilada is the Arabic word for necklace

But perhaps one of the most interesting connotations of kibreet is its association with torment and divine retribution. The acrid scent and flammable quality of sulphur made the element, mostly in Christianity and Biblical traditions, an obvious representation of hellfire and eternal suffering.

The origin of the word kibreet may have come from other Middle Eastern languages. Historians believe the word has roots in the Syriac kuprah or kupr-it, which meant flame or lantern.

Though its connotations are wide – from the fiery to the medicinal – the word kibreet these days often exclusively refers to matchsticks. A matchbox, for instance, is ilbit kibreet. You can even find the word in some chemical compounds where sulphur is present: aluminium sulphate, for example, is kibreetat aluminium.