# Arabic/Semitic languages: Words for "wet", "to dip", "to dunk"



## yuggoth

There is in Spain a tipical dish, originary of the South, but spreaded today all around the country, especially in summer. It's a cold soup called _*gazpacho* _("g" pronounced like "*g*o", "z" like "bo*th*" and "ch" like "*ch*ocolate". Stressed in the second "a"). Those who have been sightseeing in Spain might have tasted it, or, at least, have heard about.
I've been very curious about the name, because it sounds very strange even in Spanish, and there aren't similar words in the language.
I had read in an historic novel:
_"And over there were the peasants preparing the meal for the after-harvesting, and the principal was *gazpacho*, that in old Arabic words means "*wet/ dunk bread*"._
First I tought to have found a relation _gazp < "khobz"_ (Ar. "bread"), since the phonetic evolution is possible, as well as the change of order of sounds (zp<bz), amongst illiterate people, but then I realized that _"wad_" ("water" in arabic) could evolutionate in a phonetic way to _"gaz"_ in Spanish. This option, however, don't seems to be very strong, since there aren't words meaning "water" in Spanish commencing by "_gaz_".
So, the question is I would like to know *words in Semithic languages* that could have relation with *"water", "wet", "to dip", "to dunk"* and so on that could be similar with any part of _"gazpacho"._
Here is the receipt, in case somebody knows a similar dish with similar name (or want to taste it):

_Put red and green pepper (not hot), cucumber, very riped red tomatoes. Proportion is not important, but it is prefered some more tomato to soften the taste, and red pepper enough to give it the attractive and tipical red colour.. Add too a piece of hard bread (made 3-4 days ago ), and 2-3-4 cloves of garlic, depending of any one. Add olive oil (better non-virgin one), salt and vinegar according to the dressing-salad-rules ( four persons needed: A generous one for oil, a wise one for salt, a stingy one for vinegar, and a maniac for shake it). Add water,according to preferences of thickness, and grind it up with a mixer. Serve very cold, plane or adding small dices of cucumber, pepper and fried bread._ 

It's very refreshing in hot summers, and was formerly a peasant's way to take the most of hard bread and too ripe vegetables.
Thank you in advance and _bon appétit!_


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## Flaminius

One American English dictionary has the following etymology for gazpacho;


> Spanish, probably of Mozarabic origin; akin to Spanish caspicias, remainders, worthless things.


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## badgrammar

All I can think of is that "bread" in arabic, if I am not wildly mistaken (always a possibility) sounds something like "khops", with a sort of gutteral sliding "kh" sound at the beginning (so not like "kops" the k sound is mixed with the h sound).  So that could sound like the middle of the word "gazpacho" if you're imagining that the original sound (maybe evolving from a mix of arabic/spanish words)  may not reflect today's pronunciation/spelling.

Ed: I must have skimmed over your post too fast because now I see you already figured that out!  Sorry!


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## cherine

There's a thread about the etymology of gazpacho in the Arabic forum. I'm giving its link, though I'm not sure it answers your question.


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## badgrammar

Interesting link, Cherine... sounds like more than a few people have wondered about the rigins of the word.  

Which makes me wonder if it would be interesting to go back and focus on this part of yuggoth's question: "I would like to know words in Semithic languages that could have relation with "water", "wet", "to dip", "to dunk" and so on that could be similar with any part of "gazpacho"."


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## Outsider

yuggoth said:


> [...] then I realized that _"wad_" ("water" in arabic) could evolutionate in a phonetic way to _"gaz"_ in Spanish. This option, however, don't seems to be very strong, since there aren't words meaning "water" in Spanish commencing by "_gaz_".


In Spanish, Arabic _wad_- became _guad_-, as in *Guadalquivir*.


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## Whodunit

The Arabic word for "riverbed" is واد (waadin), I think. There aren't any other words beginning with "wad-" related to "water" in Modern Standard Arabic, as far as I know. Our natives will maybe know some, especially in Arabic dialects. 



yuggoth said:


> This option, however, don't seems to be very strong, since there aren't words meaning "water" in Spanish commencing by "_gaz_".


 
Isn't the Italian word for "carbonic acid" "gas" or something like that (at least as a colloquial word for "acido carbonico")? When I was in Italy, a kind woman at the bar asked me with her weak German if I'd like my "Wasser mit Gas." This sounds funny in German (= water with gas), but I thought it would be due to her Italian influence.

Maybe this could be useful for the thread, however I don't know if we can draw a connection between "carbonic acid" and "water."


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## badgrammar

Ah, yes, "oued" is like a riverbed...  Oued-khops-go... ?  Well, we're still pretty far, but maybe someone will have an idea...  

Who, you s'pose there's traditionally carbonic gas in gazpacho?


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## cherine

badgrammar said:


> Which makes me wonder if it would be interesting to go back and focus on this part of yuggoth's question: "I would like to know words in Semithic languages that could have relation with "water", "wet", "to dip", "to dunk" and so on that could be similar with any part of "gazpacho"."


You're right  So here they go : (accent marks indicate long vowels)
water: má2 ماء
to water: يروي yarwí - يسقي yasqí
wet : muballal مبلل
to wet: yuballil يبلل 
to dip: yaghmis يغمس
to dunk: yaghmis يغمس or yughaTTis يغطس


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## yuggoth

Outsider said:


> In Spanish, Arabic _wad_- became _guad_-, as in *Guadalquivir*.


In Spanish any foreign word becomes in many different ways according to the region and the cultural level of people, as in all around.


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## yuggoth

Whodunit said:


> The Arabic word for "riverbed" is واد (waadin), I think. There aren't any other words beginning with "wad-" related to "water" in Modern Standard Arabic, as far as I know. Our natives will maybe know some, especially in Arabic dialects.
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't the Italian word for "carbonic acid" "gas" or something like that (at least as a colloquial word for "acido carbonico")? When I was in Italy, a kind woman at the bar asked me with her weak German if I'd like my "Wasser mit Gas." This sounds funny in German (= water with gas), but I thought it would be due to her Italian influence.
> 
> Maybe this could be useful for the thread, however I don't know if we can draw a connection between "carbonic acid" and "water."


No,my friend. _*Gas*_ means the same that _*gas*_ in English, German, Spanish and very several languages.


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## yuggoth

cherine said:


> There's a thread about the etymology of gazpacho in the Arabic forum. I'm giving its link, though I'm not sure it answers your question.


Thank you very much for showing me that link! 
It's curious that somebody else is interested in the same word and have the same etymology information about a likely Arabic origin from  "soaked bread", especially if this person is a foreigner and considering that the stronger option in Spain is the one that comes from middle-age Latin / Mozarabic Spanish "_*caspicia*_" ( small worthless pieces ). However, I don't think this version is very reliable since that word has been not very productive in modern Spanish. I only know _*caspa*_ ( dandruff)   and perhaps the famous interjection  _*"¡Cáspita!".*_
Anyway, the more I search for this word, the more confused i become . I think this word will always remain as a linguistic enigma.
Thank you everybody for your interesting comments. I would just finally encourage all of you to try  preparing it in the very hot summer days. It would cost a little to be used to it, but it's absolutely worthwhile.


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