Talk:agħar

Etymology

Being mostly a lay with respect to Arabic, I dare wonder whether the mention of Arabic *أَعَرّ (*ʔaʕarr) in the etymology section is helpful or even accurate. The spelling with a shaddah seems to indicate a connection with / deverbal of a verb of theme IV, with root consonants ع ر ر (ʕ-r-r).

First of all, it is provided with an asterisk, indicating it is not based on an attested form.

Second, I can find no such form with root consonants ع ر ر (ʕ-r-r) as an adjective or a noun in any of:

• [Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 3rd edn, edited by J Milton Cowan, Spoken Language Services, Inc., 1976, →ISBN];
• [J.G. Hava, Arabic-English Dictionary for the Use of Students, Beyrut, Catholic Press, 1899];
• the (in some places inaccurate but still very helpful online) copy of [Anthony H Salmoné, al-Qāmūs al-ālı̄ li al-muta'allim 'arabı̄-Inklı̄zı̄ = An advanced learners Arabic-English dictionary, Libraire du Liban, 1889 (or a later version)] on http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2002.02.0005%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DE%3Aroot%3DErr,

although Hava does contain a verb entry of that form with the explanation "To be defiled (dwelling)."

Now, I can see a semantic connection between "defiled" and "shame" (given in the current article) and "bad" (given in the article about the positive adjective "ħażin" to the comparative "agħar").

But all three sources mention a form "عَار" with root consonants ع ي ر (ʕ-y-r) (p.661; p. ٥٠٤ = 504; http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2002.02.0005%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DE%3Aroot%3DEyr) with meanings, respectively: shame, disgrace, dishonor, ignominy; shame, disgrace, vice; shame, ignominy, opprobrium, disgrace.

So, would someone knowledgeable w.r.t. the etymology of this particular Maltese word "agħar" be able to shed light on this?Redav (talk) 17:02, 23 June 2021 (UTC)