# Towel



## Andrew___

Hi guys,

I am interested to learn more about the word for towel.

In the UAE they seemed to like بشكير.   In Morocco they definitely prefer فوطة

In my experience no one seems to like using منشفة.

May I ask what you guys use for this word in your dialects?


----------



## elroy

In Palestinian Arabic, both منشفة and بشكير are common.  I personally say منشفة.

We also use the word فوطة, but it doesn't mean "towel" but "cloth" or "rag."  It is also one of the words that are used to mean "diaper."


----------



## ayed

In Saudi , we always use (*منشفة*).
As for "بشكير", it is a Persian word.


----------



## cherine

In Egypt, we have both fuuTa (plural: fowaT) and bashkiir (plural: bashakiir), but they're not exactly the same thing. A bashkiir is a big fuuTa.

I think the word منشفة is the one used in written, though both fuuTa and bashkiir are also used.


----------



## WadiH

ayed said:


> In Saudi , we *always* use (*منشفة*).
> As for "بشكير", it is a Persian word.


 
"Always"?  I think the traditional word is فوطة; that's what I use.  Certainly when I was growing up, nobody in my extended family said "منشفة".  But منشفة is also used, especially in the western region.


----------



## ayed

Wadi ! in the past we would use the word فوطهbut later we use *minshifah* even in bedouin daily life.


----------



## licinio

elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic [...]
> We also use the word فوطة, but it doesn't mean "towel" but "cloth" or "rag." It is also one of the words that are used to mean "diaper."


 
Also babble if I'm not mistaken, right?


----------



## elroy

licinio said:


> Also babble if I'm not mistaken, right?


 Babble as in "meaningless talk"?  I don't think so.  Could you give an example of what you mean?


----------



## Mahaodeh

In Iraq, فوطة is used to refer to a woman's head dress when praying, in Palestine and Jordan it's غطا الصلاة, or to woman's head garment used at home (as opposed to used when going out), both are made of cotton. They use منشفة for the big towel used to dry the whole body after a bath or a shower; and خاولي for a face or hand towel, I have no idea where it came from.


----------



## Josh_

I have always thought the word فوطة is an interesting word as it seems to have so many varied meanings, from towels to napkins to rags to diapers to headdresses, etc. depending on region.  I have even heard that it can refer to a woman's sanitary napkin.


----------



## ayed

Josh_ said:


> a woman's sanitary napkin.


In classical Arabic is called :
Mi3ba2ah *معبأة*


----------



## cherine

ayed said:


> In classical Arabic is called :
> Mi3ba2ah *معبأة*


Really? Never heard this word, though I can understand its meaning from its root.

In Egypt we say fuuTa Se77eyya فوطة صحية .


Josh_ said:


> I have always thought the word فوطة is an interesting word as it seems to have so many varied meanings, from towels to napkins to rags to diapers to headdresses, etc. depending on region. I have even heard that it can refer to a woman's sanitary napkin.


Good observation.
towel فوطة
napkin فوطة مائدة (but colloquially we say mandiil sofra منديل سفرة)
rag (if it's the one used for cleaning furniture) فوطة
We, in Egypt, make the difference between a towel and a rag: فوطة وجه and فوطة مطبخ
diapers and headresses (not in Egypt): diaper حفاضة headress إيشارب or منديل (same word for handkerchief/tissue).


----------



## WadiH

Does any one here know where the word فوطة comes from by any chance?


----------



## licinio

elroy said:


> Babble as in "meaningless talk"? I don't think so. Could you give an example of what you mean?


 
Sorry, I got it wrong. I meant to have written bib, children's bib.


----------



## elroy

licinio said:


> Sorry, I got it wrong. I meant to have written bib, children's bib.


 The word I know and use for "bib" is مريلة ("maryale").  I've never come across a different word used with the same meaning.  If فوطة is used as well, I don't know about it.


----------



## Mahaodeh

Actually, in Iraq it's called صدرية (sadriyya), I'm aware it has a totally different meaning in the Levant which has casued a few laughs in Jordan after the flow of Iraqis started comming in back in the nineties.


----------

