How to say "ladder" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningladder
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
sullamסלם
سلم
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
sulamسُولَام
How the two words are related
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
س-ل-مNot from שלום/سلام, despite the tempting letters — Hebrew סוּלָם (a one-off word, Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28) and Arabic sullam both trace to Akkadian simmiltu(m), 'stairway,' borrowed independently through Aramaic into each language.
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
Cairo says sillim.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
Darija's ladder is a sellūm.
In a phrase
He climbed the ladder.
Plural
irregular plural of a geminate-root instrument noun
The root family
س-ل-مש-ל-ם· wholeness, peace
The flagship pair: שלום and salām are the same word, from a root meaning wholeness and safety in both languages. Arabic's Form IV verbal noun islām — handing oneself over whole — is built exactly like Hebrew הַשְׁלָמָה, and even שילם "to pay" matches Arabic sallama "to hand over": paying is making someone whole.
- سَلَام salāmpeaceשָׁלוֹםpeace
- سَلِمَ salimahe was safe, came out unharmedשָׁלֵםwhole, intact
- سَلَّمَ sallamahe greeted; handed overשִׁלֵּםhe paid (made whole)
- إِسْلَام islāmIslam — surrender (to God)הַשְׁלָמָהcompletion; acceptance
- مُسْلِم muslimMuslim — one who surrenders (to God)מַשְׁלִיםone who completes / accepts
- سَلَامَة salāmasafety, well-being (as in maʿa s-salāma)
More words from this root
- peace / hellosalāmسَلَامשלום
- peace be upon youas-salāmu ʿalaykumالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمשלום עליכם
- goodbyemaʿa s-salāmaمَعَ السَّلَامَةלהתראות
- get well / glad you're safesalāmtakسَلَامَتَكרפואה שלמה
- to hand over; to paysallamaسَلَّمَמסר
- sound, intact, healthysalīmسَلِيمשלם
- peacesalāmسَلَامשלום
- oh, peace! (Arabic exclamation of admiration) → wow! (Israeli slang)yā salāmيَا سَلَامיא סלאם