ashlonak

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Definitions

  • interj. 'How are you?'

Example Sentences


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Languages of Origin

  • Arabic / Judeo-Arabic

Etymology

  • masculine: אַשְלוֹנַכּ ášlōn-ak

    feminine: אַשְלוֹנֵכּ ášlōn-ǝk

    اشلونك

    lit. 'how is your situation'

      • Who Uses This

      • Iraqi: Jews with ancestry in Iraq

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain

      Dictionaries

      • None

Notes

  • The response is kilish al.


    A folk etymology says that this literally means 'what is your color today?' and comes from a time of plague in Baghdad, when the color of someone's skin may have indicated their health (Samantha Ellis, Chopping Onions on My Heart, 2025, p. 143). While the word lōn does mean ‘color’ in Modern Arabic, in older Arabic is used to mean ‘situation’.

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