How to say "misery, wretchedness (Arabic) → bummer, downer (Israeli slang)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningmisery, wretchedness (Arabic) → bummer, downer (Israeli slang)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
buʾsבאס
بؤس
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
basaبَاسَا
How the two words are related
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
ب-أ-سIsraeli באסה is usually traced to this root — b-ʾ-s of buʾs, 'misery', and bāʾis, 'wretched' — via a colloquial bāsa. Hebrew settled it as the everyday word for a bummer and even minted the verb להתבאס, 'to be bummed out'.
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
If this derivation is right, the hamza melts away in speech (as raʾs becomes rās), giving the bāsa shape Hebrew took.
In a phrase
he lived in misery
More in Arabic You Already Speak
- pit, cesspool (Levantine Arabic) → filthy place; sewer mouth (Israeli slang)jūraجُورَةג'ורה
- garbage (Arabic) → trash, worthless junk (Israeli slang)zubālaزُبَالَةזבאלה
- idle talk, tall tales (Arabic) → nonsense, baloney (Israeli slang)kharṭخَرْطחרטה
- 'as you please' (Arabic) → terrific, tip-top (Israeli slang על הכיפאק)ʿalā kayfikaعَلَى كَيْفِكَעל הכיפאק
- oh my darling (Arabic) → buddy!, wow! (Israeli slang exclamation)yā ḥabībīيَا حَبِيبِيיא חביבי
- fool, dimwit (Arabic and Israeli slang)ahbalأَهْبَلאהבל
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