How to say "one (Arabic wāḥid) → 'one heck of a...' (Israeli slang intensifier)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningone (Arabic wāḥid) → 'one heck of a...' (Israeli slang intensifier)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
wāḥidואחד
واحد
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
wakhadوَاخَاد
How the two words are related
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
و-ح-دHebrew root
א-ח-דwāḥid is Hebrew אחד wearing a w up front — Arabic even keeps the twin form aḥad. The slang layer is the colloquial habit of fronting wāḥad as an intensifier, which Hebrew copied: וואחד חום, 'one heck of a heat'.
Related Hebrew word:אחדekhadإِخَاد
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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
The i opens to a in speech — wāḥad, the pronunciation behind the slang.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
Darija: wāḥed — also the indefinite 'a': wāḥed r-rājel, 'a man'.
In a phrase
I have one question
More words from this root
More in Arabic You Already Speak
- to finish, be free of (Arabic) → enough!, done! (Israeli slang)khalaṣخَلَصחלס
- my heart (Arabic term of endearment) → sweetheart (Israeli slang)qalbīقَلْبِيקלבי
- never mind, no matter (Arabic colloquial) → never mind (Israeli slang)maʿlīshمَعْلِيشמעליש
- a kiss (colloquial Arabic and Israeli slang)bawsaبَوْسَةבוסה
- official (Arabic) → official, legit, for real (Israeli slang)rasmiyyرَسْمِيّרסמי
- pimp, lowlife (Arabic, vulgar) → thug, delinquent stereotype (Israeli slang, derogatory)ʿarṣعَرْصערס
All Arabic You Already Speak words Explore all root families