أعشاب بحرية
a‘shāb baḥrīyah
The English phrase seaweed is translated into Arabic as أعشاب بحرية (a‘shāb baḥrīyah).
أعشاب بحرية is used to refer to marine algae.
Meaning: marine algae (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of أعشاب (a‘shāb), meaning 'grasses' or 'herbs' and بحرية (baḥrīyah), meaning 'marine' or 'sea-related'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form أعشاب بحرية is plural, which is the most common way to refer to seaweed in Arabic. The singular form is عشب بحري (a‘shab baḥrī).
How do you pronounce it?
a‘shāb baḥrīyah
Did you know?
- The root B-Ḥ-R found in بحرية is also used in the term بحر to describe a specific meter or rhythm in classical Arabic poetry.
- The word أعشاب is the same root used for 'herbs' in traditional medicine. In Arabic, the distinction between a 'herb' and a 'grass' is often blurred by this single term.
- The adjective بحرية (baḥrīyah) uses the 'nisba' suffix, a common grammatical tool in Arabic used to turn a noun into a descriptive adjective.
Examples in context
- هل توجد أعشاب بحرية في هذا الطبق؟hal tujadu a'shab bahriyya fi hadha al-tabaq?Is there seaweed in this dish?
Example conversation
Omar and Layla are walking on a beach.
- عمر Omarانظري يا ليلى، هناك أعشاب بحرية على الشاطئ.unzhuri ya Layla, hunaka a'shab bahriyya 'ala ash-shati'.Look Layla, there is seaweed on the beach.
- ليلى Laylaنعم، إنها تبدو خضراء جداً.na'am, innaha tabdu khadra' jiddan.Yes, it looks very green.
- عمر Omarهل سبق لكِ لمس الأعشاب البحرية؟hal sabaqa laki lams al-a'shab al-bahriyya?Have you ever touched seaweed before?
- ليلى Laylaلا، سأجرب لمسها الآن.la, sa-ujarrib lamsaha al-an.No, I will try touching it now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries بحرية, CC BY-SA 4.0.
