The Glossary
Words that don't arrive in English.
A growing dictionary of the concepts that don't quite make the crossing from Persian, Kurdish, Arabic, and Turkish into English. Each word is a door. We explain the door, not the whole room.
- تعارفta'arof · Persian
A system of ritual politeness that runs through every ordinary Persian exchange.
- خوەبوونxwebûn · Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Being-oneself. Self-possession as a verb, closer to an act than a state.
- واسطةwasta · Arabic
A connection. An intermediary. The person who knows the person.
- غربتghorbat · Persian
The condition of being far from home. Closer to exile than to travel.
- aşiretaşiret · Turkish
A tribal or kinship confederation. Older than the state, still present inside it.
- قومqawm · Arabic (widely borrowed)
A people. Or a tribe. Or a nation. Or the people standing with you. The same word for all of these.
The Glossary grows every few weeks. If there's a word you think belongs here, email [email protected].