Seeds have always had very powerful significance across cultures around the world.
Habb, this week’s Arabic Word of the Week, which is commonly used to refer to a seed, is an incredibly multifaceted word. Rich in meaning, habb is used symbolically to express many elements, both figurative and literal, about varied aspects of life.
To begin, habb can mean any small hard seed, grain or berry from food plants that could be planted and then grow. In Arabic there are other words for this type of seed such as bathra. However, habb is the one most commonly used in classical and colloquial Arabic across dialects to mean seeds that grow from the earth.
Habb can also refer to the concept of something small. Habb or al habba can mean one small piece, a small part of a bigger thing or the weight of something. For example, habb can be used in the context to describe a grain of rice, the seed of an apple or a tiny piece of bread.
The root for the word habb curiously has nothing to do with seeds in the literal sense. It is derived from the word habouba, a verb which means to love. All the variations for the Arabic word for love, such as hub or habibi, are derived from habouba.
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Hob is the Arabic word for love, but can be used in many contexts -
The Arabic word helu translates, in English, to sweet -
Nashef is the Arabic word for dry, but has many connotations, depending on the context in which you use it -
The Arabic word hurriyeh translates to freedom in English -
The Arabic word tayeb can mean delicious or good, depending on the context -
The Arabic word mustaqbal is best expressed as future in English -
Waqaa, the Arabic word for fall, can signify a loss of power, stature, health or grace -
Hudood means borders in English -
The Arabic word rooh translates to spirit or soul in English -
The Arabic word ain means eye in English -
Waraq, the Arabic word of the week means paper in English -
Bahr, the Arabic for sea, has a poetic lilt -
Kareem means generous in English -
Bab means door in English -
Eid means holiday or festival -
Najm means star for the night sky and cosmos, but also has plenty of other meanings, including ambition or fame -
Alwan, the Arabic word for colours, has many shades of meaning -
Akel can refer to home-cooked meals, embezzlement, fire and rust -
Jamal is the Arabic word for beauty, be it literal or figurative -
Herfe translates to profession or craft -
Tabiaa translates to nature and can frame landscapes and portraits -
Sehha is the Arabic word for health -
Ijaza is Arabic for holiday and shines in summer but is not stress-free -
Aamal is the Arabic word for work -
Al dahr translates to time -
Qalb is a word for heart, with poetic roots -
Lugha in Arabic translates to language in English -
Insaan means human being -
Na'eeman is an idiomatic expression used when someone has had a shower or bath, a haircut or had their beard trimmed -
The Arabic word for life touches on eternity, death and accomplishment -
Qamar is the Arabic for moon -
The Arabic word for strength or power is quwwa -
Burj is Arabic for tower -
The Arabic word for sun is shams -
Sabr in English can translate to patience -
Hayba is the Arabic word for prestige -
The Arabic term al shay'e translates as 'the thing' in English -
The Arabic word for road is tareeq -
The Arabic word for read has mystical and scholarly connotations -
Istikan is the Arabic word for a type of tea cup -
The Arabic word hanan means affection in English -
The Arabic word atlal means ruins in English -
Kura is the Arabic word for ball, in all its forms -
Janaah in Arabic means wing in English -
The Arabic word sana translates to year in English -
Qasida is the Arabic for poem, not poetry -
Ameer, the Arabic word for prince, which influenced another English title -
Nakhla translates to palm tree in English -
Al samt is the Arabic for silence -
Kalimaat translates to words in English -
Markaz is Arabic for centre -
Beshara is the Arabic word for good news -
Bayt is the Arabic for house or home -
Fann is the Arabic word for art, and can be either a verb or an adjective -
Isim, which means name, is made up of three letters, alif, seen and meem -
Dunya is the Arabic word for world -
Nazaafah translates to cleanliness in English -
Many traditions revolve around drinking coffee, including weddings, funerals and business meetings -
Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn -
Maghrib is the Arabic word for sunset -
The Arabic language is filled with idioms, quotes and colloquial quips involving the mirror -
Raei is the Arabic word for opinion -
Wa'ed is a multifaceted word for 'promise', as well as a female name -
Qussa is the Arabic word for story -
Sadaaka is the Arabic word for friendship -
Akhbaar is the Arabic word for news -
Rasem is made up of the three Arabic letters Rah, Seen and Meem. While it can simply mean a drawing or a sketch it’s also a malleable word whose definition can change depending on context and dialect – particularly between colloquial and classical Arabic. -
As well as finishing a task, khatem denotes a deeper sense of finality -
Commonly translated to blessed, mubarak is used as a popular greeting on auspicious days -
The Arabic word for lighthouse is also a term that has become closely associated with Islam -
Siyaam, the Arabic word for fasting is also connected to silence -
Tawbah, the Arabic word for repentance, is also connected to Ramadan -
Safar, the Arabic Word for travel can also refer to sunny days, a brighter-blazing fire or exile. The National
An Arabic phrase that sits on the intersection of habb and hub, seed and love, is habbit al qalb, which translates to piece of the heart. The phrase means the joy, happiness and love one feels towards someone or something.
Habb, or huboub in its plural form, can also mean any type of pimple or boil on the skin. It refers specifically to something of a hard nature that protrudes out of the skin – not blemishes, freckles or scarring. In fact, acne in Arabic is habb al shabaab, which translates to pimples of youth.
While these three definitions of habb differ greatly, they all have the same idea in common – something very small but noticeable or powerful.
Universally, seeds have always been a symbol for growth, transformation and the passage of time, with many associations to love or something bigger than the self.
Shakespeare writes in his play Macbeth: "If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear your favors nor your hate."
The character of Banquo here is seeking a prophecy from the three witches. They reveal to him that his descendants will be kings, completely changing the plot of the play. Here the metaphor of the seed is used in a number of ways – to symbolise the beginning of new eras and the future of the world, while also referring to Banquo’s own genetic seeds and family tree.
Another example of how the idea of habb can be a symbol for powerful ideas is in the work of Palestinian-American writer and poet Naomi Shihab Nye. In her poem Blood, Nye writes, "I wave the flag of stone and seed, table mat stitched in blue."
Here, Nye uses the idea of a seed to represent her Palestinian identity and the way in which her people and culture are rooted to the land of their ancestors and struggle for peace.
