--- product_id: 1210902 title: "Arabic English Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (English and Arabic Edition)" price: "$139.35" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/1210902-arabic-english-dictionary-of-modern-written-arabic-english-and-arabic store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Arabic English Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (English and Arabic Edition) **Price:** $139.35 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Arabic English Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (English and Arabic Edition) - **How much does it cost?** $139.35 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1210902-arabic-english-dictionary-of-modern-written-arabic-english-and-arabic) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "This Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (fourth edition) has been enlarged and amended with 13,000 new entries. It is the only authorized paperback edition of the famous Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, edited by J. Milton Cowan. This new edition has thousands of new entries include numerous additions and corrections to the material and presents the results in a single handsome volume. The author provides a useful introduction in which he discusses, clearly and precisely, the present state of the Arabic language. He points out the situations in which written and spoken varieties of Arabic are used, and remarks on the forces that influenced the development of the lexicon of Modern Arabic. He discusses both the purist movement with its normative tradition, and what might be called the laissez-faire actual usage of writers and journalists under the influence of Western modes of expression, of their everyday colloquial, or both. He then moves on to the problem of local terminology, especially for public institutions, offices, administrative matters, titles, and foods. Although such terms are included for most of the Arab countries, the list is not complete, as indeed the author recognizes (viii); readers of Arabic material characterized by a distinct regional coloring are advised to refer to dialect dictionaries and glossaries." Review: You speak English. You're learning Arabic. You'll appreciate this dictionary. - What is there left to say about this excellent dictionary? It's probably all been said, but here some of its characteristics. 1. I learned Arabic in the military at DLI in Monterey. All of our professors were native speakers, some from universities in Cairo, Baghdad, etc., and this is the dictionary they prefer. 2. This is truly a dictionary, not just a lexicon. Written Arabic can be ambiguous without the diacritical markings, which are not written in this text, either, but the transliteration of the word is given and easily put to use. E.g. "صبع - ṣaba'a a (ṣab') ... to insert one's finger (ها into the hen, so as to ascertain whether she is going to lay an egg)" You finally know how to say that. 3. Once more, there are no diacritical markings in this text. I think this is preferable simply because the markings would add a lot of clutter. Keep in mind this version is the size of a handbook, so the font is necessarily small. 4. The book is easily portable, being precisely 5.14" x 8.46" x 1.38" (w x l x h). You like or no like, I don't know. I could go for a hardback or even a leather binding. There's certainly no way you would cut this and have it rebound. 5. I've used al-Mawrid, also, which is great for quick look-ups since words are ordered by their spelling, making irregular verbs easy to find, sometimes, and you can get it with the English-Arabic part. Hans Wehr, on the other hand, orders everything according to the root verb, real or implied. Sticking with the root system ensures all related words to a given root appear together. I think this makes Hans Wehr better for _studying_ Arabic, not just getting through a BBC article. 6. Hans Wehr reinforces your understanding of the measures. It does so because it usually doesn't write them out, forcing you to memorize them. This is the standard. I had to have it again after losing my first one in a move. Review: the one to have - Working with an Arabic dictionary requires real skill, not to mention a great deal of patience. The Hans Wehr is organized (as all authentic Arabic dictionaries are) by word roots, and although with practice many patterns are easy to spot, particularly ones with letters extraneous to the root, there are also many which are not- especially ones with 'waw' and 'yay'. The only solution here is experience. It is also essential to memorize the nine classes of derived verbs, since derived verbs are not given as separate entries, but rather are listed (by their class) under the root of the simple verb. This isn't intended to scare anybody off, but although the Hans Wehr is certainly the best and most complete nonspecialist Arabic-English dictionary available, it definitely works on its own terms. It is essential for any serious student of Arabic and will be an everyday companion for the years it will take to learn the language well. One could only wish that a similar value was available for translating English into Arabic. Maybe some day. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #458,997 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #832 in Foreign Dictionaries & Thesauruses #1,009 in Foreign Language Instruction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 324 Reviews | ## Images ![Arabic English Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (English and Arabic Edition) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/811gf9qi8AL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You speak English. You're learning Arabic. You'll appreciate this dictionary. *by B***H on January 13, 2015* What is there left to say about this excellent dictionary? It's probably all been said, but here some of its characteristics. 1. I learned Arabic in the military at DLI in Monterey. All of our professors were native speakers, some from universities in Cairo, Baghdad, etc., and this is the dictionary they prefer. 2. This is truly a dictionary, not just a lexicon. Written Arabic can be ambiguous without the diacritical markings, which are not written in this text, either, but the transliteration of the word is given and easily put to use. E.g. "صبع - ṣaba'a a (ṣab') ... to insert one's finger (ها into the hen, so as to ascertain whether she is going to lay an egg)" You finally know how to say that. 3. Once more, there are no diacritical markings in this text. I think this is preferable simply because the markings would add a lot of clutter. Keep in mind this version is the size of a handbook, so the font is necessarily small. 4. The book is easily portable, being precisely 5.14" x 8.46" x 1.38" (w x l x h). You like or no like, I don't know. I could go for a hardback or even a leather binding. There's certainly no way you would cut this and have it rebound. 5. I've used al-Mawrid, also, which is great for quick look-ups since words are ordered by their spelling, making irregular verbs easy to find, sometimes, and you can get it with the English-Arabic part. Hans Wehr, on the other hand, orders everything according to the root verb, real or implied. Sticking with the root system ensures all related words to a given root appear together. I think this makes Hans Wehr better for _studying_ Arabic, not just getting through a BBC article. 6. Hans Wehr reinforces your understanding of the measures. It does so because it usually doesn't write them out, forcing you to memorize them. This is the standard. I had to have it again after losing my first one in a move. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ the one to have *by P***H on March 9, 2009* Working with an Arabic dictionary requires real skill, not to mention a great deal of patience. The Hans Wehr is organized (as all authentic Arabic dictionaries are) by word roots, and although with practice many patterns are easy to spot, particularly ones with letters extraneous to the root, there are also many which are not- especially ones with 'waw' and 'yay'. The only solution here is experience. It is also essential to memorize the nine classes of derived verbs, since derived verbs are not given as separate entries, but rather are listed (by their class) under the root of the simple verb. This isn't intended to scare anybody off, but although the Hans Wehr is certainly the best and most complete nonspecialist Arabic-English dictionary available, it definitely works on its own terms. It is essential for any serious student of Arabic and will be an everyday companion for the years it will take to learn the language well. One could only wish that a similar value was available for translating English into Arabic. Maybe some day. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's a must owned Arab-English Dictionary *by S***M on July 19, 2010* I'm happy with Amazon for its swift delivery of my order. Accordingly I'm supposed to receive the book latest 29th July but instead I got in a matter of ten days.Thank you Amazon. Now for the book - I've got several arab-english dictionaries that I switched from on another whenever I need to search for a word. But The Hans Wehr dictionary proved otherwise. It is easy to use and the user gets the benefit of several definitions explained and examples to show its usage. Based on the three letter root of Arab language words are easily searched. The only gripe I have is it's pages. They are thin and delicate and can be easily torn through everyday usage. I do not know if you have the hard cover version, I have not seen one and bought the paperback version then. Another plus is the clear printing easy to read format. Nonetheless I'm happy with it and find it valuable as recommended by many authors of Arab Language authors. Its a 'must owned dictionary'. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/1210902-arabic-english-dictionary-of-modern-written-arabic-english-and-arabic](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1210902-arabic-english-dictionary-of-modern-written-arabic-english-and-arabic) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-14*