How to say "bad luck, ill omen (Arabic) → rotten luck, a jinx (Israeli slang)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningbad luck, ill omen (Arabic) → rotten luck, a jinx (Israeli slang)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
نَحْس
naḥsנחס
نحس
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
נאחס
nakhsنَاخْس
How the two words are related
Loanword
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
ن-ح-سIn the Quran certain days are naḥs, ill-omened — the opposite of saʿd, good fortune. Israeli slang borrowed it (spelled נאחס, echoing the colloquial pronunciation) for rotten luck and lousy vibes; it is traditionally compared with Hebrew נ-ח-ש of ניחש, 'to read omens', though linguists debate that link.
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In a phrase
يَوْم نَحْس
yawm naḥsיום נחסan unlucky day
More words from this root
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