Sharmuta
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Sharmuta is an Arabic insult meaning "whore". It is also found in Ethiopian Semitic languages. However, most Arab linguists agree that it is of non-Arabic origin.
[edit] Hebrew Origin
Recently, a study by Aymn Almsaodi links the word "sharmuta" to the Medieval European slave girls sold in the Arab slave markets. He states that "The Jews controlled the slave trade in Sarmatia in East Europe. The Arabic word for a Sarmatian woman is 'sarmuta'. The Hebrew letter 'S' is equivalent to the Arabic letter 'SH'. Therefore, the Jews pronounced it 'sharmuta'. The Jews sold most the slaves in the Levantine and Egyptian towns. Today the word 'sharmuta' is primarily used in Levantine and Egyptian dialects. In contrast, the word is used to a lesser degree in the Yemeni and Maghrebi dialects, which shows the word's connection to the East European slave trade that was more common in Egypt and the Levant than other Arab regions."
[edit] References
- Bernard Lewis, Muslim discovery of Europe
- Aymn Almsaodi, The historic Atlas of Iberia
