Words make up the world we live in. They are used every day, in speech and in written form and are an integral part of how we communicate, creating the fabric of many cultures.
Kalimaat, The National's Arabic word of the week, means words, the plural of word.
The singular version of kalimaat is kalima, and both refer to the element of speech or writing, which can be used alone or in relation to other words to create a sentence.
So, a kalima is a word in a sentence, while kalimaat are all the words in the sentence. In its written form, like in English, each word in Arabic is written with a space before and after it.
The root of the word comes from the three Arabic letters kaaf, laam and meem, and linguistically both the plural kalimaat and the singular kalima can be nouns, verbs and adjectives.
There are several other words in classical Arabic that derive from the same three Arabic letters, which have links to the use of words and language.
Kalam is a combination of words, a combination of kalimaat, which means talking, describing or recounting, using speech. It also refers to a passage of writing or even at times the subject matter of a poem, speech, article, letter or passage in literature.
Meanwhile, Kaleem means he who speaks to you or he who is assigned to speak to you. The prophet Moses is known as Kaleem Allah, which translates to the speaker of God. As detailed in the Quran, God spoke directly to Moses and not through an angel.
The noun version of kalima or kalimaat is kalim, which refers to any complete or incomplete sentence. Another meaning for the noun kalim is a wound or cut, while kalama is a verb meaning to hurt or injure someone. These two meanings, when seen adjacent to the meaning of kalimaat, denote the power of the words we use to hurt and control others.
Kalimaat or kalima are also used as part of many expressions in Arabic to describe particular roles and situations.
Kalimaat al sirr, which translates to "the secret word", was used in stories to describe a word to enter somewhere forbidden. Today it's used to describe a password for an account.
The expression, sahib al kalima, which translates to owner of the word, describes the person who has the final say or the decision maker in any given situation.
Another popular expression, be koul maana al kalima, which translates to "with every meaning of the word (intended)", is used to describe the emphasis placed on a particular word describing a situation or feature.
Kalimaat was also the title of a 1991 album and very popular single released by Lebanese songstress Majida El Roumi.
The lyrics are taken from the poem of the same name by the renowned Syrian poet, Nizar Qabbani. The poem and the song tell of a woman describing the false promises and illusions her lover painted through the power of words.
Scroll through the gallery below to see The National's pick of Arabic words of the week
