Sharqi
/ˈʃɑːr.ki/noun
A term from Arabic meaning eastern, often referring in English to the Egyptian-style dance raqs sharqi.
Did you know?Sharqi comes from the same Arabic root associated with the rising sun and dawn, linking the term linguistically with illumination and emergence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*šrq
“A reconstructed root associated with rising, dawn, and the east”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
شرق (šarq)
“East; the direction of sunrise”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
شَرْقِيّ (šarqī)
“Eastern; belonging to the east”
20th Century
Egyptian Arabic
رَقْص شرقي (raqs sharqi)
“Eastern dance; the Egyptian style of dance known internationally as belly dance”
Modern English
English
sharqi
“A transliterated Arabic term used especially in discussions of Egyptian dance and Middle Eastern culture”