[jbovlaste] Re: the common cold and the flu

[Michael Turniansky <mturniansky@gmail.com>]

On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 12:56 PM, tijlan <jbotijlan@gmail.com> wrote:
> 2009/10/28 Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>:
>> For the common cold, I notice that Arabic and Hindi (and Azeri) sound similar,
>> so I propose "la zukam" or "la zykam". There's no Wiktionary entry for the
>> Arabic word. Do any of you know where it comes from, how to pronounce it, or
>> what else it means?
>
> It's spelled زكام
> (http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%85), pronounced
> "zuka:m" (http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=376135). I
> don't speak Arabic but i know enough to tell that the stress is on the
> long vowel "a:".
>
> I don't know where it comes from and whether it has another meaning.
> According to the following page, the same word exists in Farsi with
> other meanings such as "coryza", "influenca", and "sniffle":
> http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/%25D8%25B2%25D9%2583%25D8%25A7%25D9%2585+
>

  I have an Arabic speaker in my office, so I will try to ask her when
I return to work.  (mi ca sidju lo speni be mi be'o poi ze'a zvati le
zdani ki'u lo pu'u xebro mordri )

         --gejyspa