In his 1952 poem I Carry Your Heart With Me, American poet E E Cummings wrote: "Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide."
The use of the word root in his poem, and the context that follows, emphasises the definition of the term as the deep core of something.
This week’s Arabic word of the week, jouthour, is fascinating for its multifaceted meaning connected to ideas of essence, purity, steadfastness and the true meaning or being of something.
To put it simply, jouthour means roots. It’s a noun made up of the three Arabic letters, jeem, thal and rah. The origin of jouthour comes from the word jathara, a verb that means to extract or cut something out with its roots intact.
Jathara not only applies to plants and their roots but can be used in other instances. For example, delving into or discovering an issue or topic and pulling it apart from its roots. It’s also used in algebra – it is the action of finding the root of a number or an equation.
It’s interesting to note that the origin of the word jouthour here, is the action of separation or unearthing the root of something, while jouthour itself refers initially to plant roots, grounded and stationary in the earth.
-
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
In its botanical context, and perhaps its most common point of reference, jouthour are the roots of any plant or tree whose function is to anchor the plant while absorbing water and nutrients from the earth for replenishment and growth.
Jouthour is the plural for jathar, which means one single root. Since roots are formed in either a taproot system, with one single primary root with smaller offshoots, or a fibrous root system which has many small branching roots but no main primary stem, roots are referred to in their plural form. The singular form of the word can be used to reference a single offshoot or root.
From a linguistic perspective, jouthour refers to the root or origin of any word. Used in any other context it can mean the root of a source of emotion from joy to anger and frustration.
Jathree is a word derived from the same origin of the word jouthour and specifically refers to the origin of something. The Arabic phrase, taghyeer jathree, which loosely translates to original change, is used when describing the change of something from its very origin to its facade.
Jouthour can also be a very emotionally charged word that connects us to the land. In a certain context it means when a person takes root in the land. This means building a life, community and paving the way for a person to continue to live and thrive in a land or region for generations with no intention of ever leaving.
