العراق

In medieval Arabic geography, the toponym referred to the southern and central parts of present-day Iraq. The word was taken as the definite form of عِرَاق (ʕirāq, “shore, edge, any land next to water”), in contrast with الْجَزِيرَة (al-jazīra, “the Arabian Peninsula”), called ܓܙܺܝܪܬܴ݁ܐ (gəzīrtā, “Mesopotamia”) in Syriac.

Some sources suggest an origin in Middle Persian. Forms like [script needed] (ˀyrg /⁠ērag⁠/) or [script needed] (ˀl'k' /⁠erāg⁠/, “lowlands”)^[1] are related to the same root as 𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭 (ʾyrʾn /⁠ērān⁠/, “Iran”) and 𐭠𐭩𐭫 (ʾyl /⁠ēr⁠/, “Iranian”), reflecting the influence of Persia, Iraq’s plateau neighbor. The form [script needed] (ērag) is also found in a Jewish Babylonian Aramaic incantation bowl, which preserves the oldest known written form of “Iraq” as אירג (ʔyrg /⁠*ērag⁠/, “Iraq”).

The Aramaic continuum may have preserved a pharyngealized variant, comparable to rare forms such as عِرْنَاس (ʕirnās, “distaff”) and عَمْرُوسَة (ʕamrūsa, “small lamb”).

A connection with Akkadian 𒌷𒀕 (/⁠uruk⁠/, “Uruk”) is unlikely on phonetic grounds.

• IPA^(key): /al.ʕi.raːq/
• Rhymes: -aːq

الْعِرَاق • (al-ʕirāq) m or f

1. Iraq (a country in Asia)

• The definite article ال (al-) is indispensable.
• Unlike the majority of country names, الْعِرَاق (al-ʕirāq) is usually a masculine noun.

• عِرَاقِيّ (ʕirāqiyy)
• عِرَاقِيَّة (ʕirāqiyya)

From Arabic الْعِرَاق (al-ʕirāq).

• IPA^(key): /lɪʕraːɡ/, /ɪlɪʕraːɡ/

العراق • (li-ʕrāg) f

1. Iraq (a country in Asia)

• عراقي (ʕrāgi, “Iraqi”)

From Arabic الْعِرَاق (al-ʕirāq).

• IPA^(key): /al.ʕi.raːɡ/, [alʕɪraːɡ]

العِراق • (alʕirāg) f

1. Iraq (a country in Asia)

• This is one of the country names which requires the definite article ال.

• عراقي (ʕirāgi, “Iraqi”) (masculine)
• عراقيَّة (ʕirāgiyya, “Iraqi”) (feminine)

Learned borrowing from Arabic الْعِرَاق (al-ʕirāq).

• IPA^(key): /il.ʕi.raːq/, [ɪl.ʕɪˈrˤɑːq]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

العراق • (il-ʕirāq) m

1. Iraq (a country in Asia)

• عراقي (ʕirāqi, “Iraqi”)