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May 29, 2002

This week's theme
Words borrowed from Arabic

This week's words
alembic
nadir
jihad
houri
talisman

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jihad

noun:
1. A holy war by Muslims against those believed hostile to Islam.
2. Any campaign for an idea or belief.

[From Arabic jihad (struggle).]

Another word that shares the same root as today's word is mujahed (guerrilla fighter), mujahedin is the plural form.

"Whether this will appease the Euro-sceptics, who see the beef war as the start of a jihad to rescue British sovereignty from Brussels, is doubtful."
John Palmer and Michael White; Ultimatum to Major in Beef War; The Guardian (London, UK); Jun 18, 1996.

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