Az Zarqa

8.2

A city in northwest Jordan near Amman known for factories

proper noun

: Az Zarqa

Many factories are located in Az Zarqa, making it a hub of Jordan's industry.

Examples

I visited Az Zarqa last summer.
Az Zarqa is known for its factories and industries.
He was born in Az Zarqa and later moved to Amman for university.
Tourists often pass through Az Zarqa on their way to northern Jordan.
Many factories are located in Az Zarqa, making it a hub of Jordan's industry.
He was born in Az Zarqa and later moved to Amman for university.
Tourists often pass through Az Zarqa on their way to northern Jordan.

Synonyms

Zarqa

vsAz Zarqa

1 8.0

A city in the north of Jordan near Amman with many factories

is the same city name written with the Arabic definite article

Surface Forms

Az Zarqa main

Morphology

Az + Zarqa

This is a toponym: 'Az' is a transliterated, language-specific article/phonological form (related to Arabic al-) rather than an English lexical item, and 'Zarqa' is a place-name. Because the expression is a proper name and the 'Az' element does not carry a predictable English meaning for B1 learners, the city name's meaning is not derivable from the constituent words in standard English.

Etymology

Az Zarqa may come from the Arabic words az and zarqa, which mean 'the blue one'. It likely refers to the blue water of the nearby Zarqa River, so the city's name points to that river and its colour.