How to say "joint (of the body)" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningjoint (of the body)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
مَفْصِل
mafṣilמפצל
مفصل
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
מפרק
mifrakمِفْرَاك
How the two words are related
Shifted meaning
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ف-ص-لHebrew root
פ-צ-לMafṣil is built on ف-ص-ل 'to separate, divide' — a joint as 'the place where it splits'. Hebrew's everyday word for joint is מפרק, but the same root shape survives, tucked into Genesis 30:37's rare verb וַיְפַצֵּל 'and he peeled/split' (Jacob stripping bark from branches) — a faint, hedge-worthy echo rather than an everyday match.
Related Hebrew word:פצלpitselپِتْسِل
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In a phrase
اِلْتِهَاب الْمَفَاصِل
iltihāb al-mafāṣilאלתהאב אל-מפאצלarthritis (inflammation of the joints)
Plural
مَفَاصِل
mafāṣilמפאצלbroken plural maCāCiC — like مسجد→مساجد