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شوش

Root entry · 8 derived lemmas

This root primarily relates to lightness, speed, and agility, particularly in reference to animals like ostriches and camels. It also extends to concepts of confusion and mixing, though one source suggests this latter meaning is a later development.

Derived headwords

الوشواشnoun
  1. 1.
    light ostrichclassical

    Refers to a light and swift ostrich.

ناقة وشواشةnoun
  1. 1.
    swift she-camelclassical

    A she-camel characterized by its speed and agility.

ناقة شوشاءnoun
  1. 1.
    swift she-camelclassical

    A she-camel known for its swiftness.

شوشاةnoun
  1. 1.
    swift she-camelclassical

    A she-camel that is fast and agile.

  2. 2.
    agile womanclassical

    A woman who is quick and nimble, sometimes used as a form of reproach.

شواشئnoun
  1. 1.
    swift she-camelsclassical

    Plural form referring to swift she-camels.

الوشوشةnoun
  1. 1.
    lightness, swiftnessclassical

    The quality of being light and swift.

التشويشnoun
  1. 1.
    confusion, mixingmodern

    The act of confusing or mixing things up; disorder.

  2. 2.
    muddlingclassical

    The act of causing confusion or disorder.

تشوشverb
  1. 1.
    to be confusedmodern

    To become mixed up or disordered.

  2. 2.
    to be confusedclassical

    To have one's affairs become mixed up or disordered.

Parallel reading

الوشواش الخفيف من النعام
Al-washwash is the light ostrich.
ناقة وشواشة وناقة شوشاء، ممدود
A swift she-camel and a swift she-camel, extended (in pronunciation).
من العيس شوشاء مزاق، ترى بها ... ندوبا من الأنساع فذا وتوأما
Among the camels is a swift, fast she-camel, by which you see... marks from the saddle-straps, single and twin.
وسماعي من العرب شوشاة، بالهاء وقصر الألف
And what I have heard from the Arabs is 'shūshāh', with the 'hā' and a short 'alif'.
واعجل لها بناضح لغوب، ... شواشئ مختلف النيوب
And hasten for her with a weary water-carrier, ... swift she-camels of various humps.
همز شواشئ للضرورة، وأصله من الشوشاة، وهي الناقة الخفيفة
The hamza in 'shawāshi'' is for metrical necessity, and its origin is from 'al-shūshāh', which is the light she-camel.
والمرأة تعاب بذلك فيقال: امرأة شوشاة
And a woman is criticized for that, so it is said: a 'shūshāh' woman.
الشوشاة الناقة السريعة
Al-shūshāh is the fast she-camel.
والوشوشة الخفة
And 'al-wushwushah' is lightness.
وأما التشويش فقال أبو منصور: إنه لا أصل له في العربية، وإنه من كلام المولدين، وأصله التهويش وهو التخليط
As for 'al-tashwīsh', Abu Mansur said: it has no origin in Arabic, and it is from the speech of the neo-Arabs, and its origin is 'al-tawhīsh', which is mixing.
التشويش التخليط، وقد تشوش عليه الأمر
Al-tashwīsh is mixing; and the matter became confused for him.