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I was going through my Carrajena word lists and found _jumbra_ meaning carpet, which I created for one of the weekly vocabulary exercizes way back when. I formed this word based on the Spanish _alfombra_ which my Spanish etymology tells me: árabe _al-jumra_ 'la alfombra', de _al-_ 'la, el' + _jumra_ 'alfombra; estera de hoja de palmera' (raíz: _jmr_ 'cubrir, ocultar'). Now I'm thinking I've made a big boo-boo here. This _j_ in the Spanish transcription probably doesn't represent /Z/ as is often the case in English transcriptions of Arabic, but /x/ or some such closer to Spanish spelling rules. So I went to various paltry Arabic sources I own, and I don't see _jumra_ in any of them! What is this word? My _Peace Corps English-Tunisian Arabic Dictionary_ has _zarbiyyá_ (which is neat and whould give _zarvija_ or some such). Lonely Planet's _Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook_ by Siona Jenkins has _siggaada_; the one by Scot Wayne, et al. has _seggæda_. Their _Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook_ has _zerbeeya_. Hippocrene's _English-Arabic Arabic-English Concise Romanized Dictionary for the Spoken Arabic of Egypt and Syria_ (what an inconcise title!) has _sijjâdi_ for Syrian and _saggâda_ for Egyptian. Their _Eastern Arabic-English English-Eastern Arabic Dictionary and Phrasebook for the Spoken Arabic of Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Syria_ (at least they didn't call it "concise"!) has _sijaade_. _Spoken Arabic in Saudi Arabia_ has _sig-GA-da_. _Handbook of Kuwaiti Arabic_ has _zuuliyya_ and _zall_. None of these words seem at all connected to the word quoted in the Spanish etymology. Help! And while we're on the subject, what is the Hebrew (Biblical period preferably, Talmudic okay) for carpet? It doesn't seem to appear in the Old Testament so I can't find it. Anyone know the Phoenecian/Punic just off hand? I understand Carthage had quite a carpet industry going in the Roman period. Adam ===== Idavi avins patorrechi djinerachunis djul Avramu ad ul Davidu ed avins patorrechi djinerachunis djil deporrachuni in al Baviluña ad ul Cristu. Machu 1:17