What it means
عرق (araq) is the Persian word for sweat or perspiration. It is borrowed from Arabic, where the root ع-ر-ق (a-r-q) relates to veins and the flow of liquid, including perspiration. The word is used in everyday speech for physical sweat during exercise, heat, or illness. Note that عرق also has a second, unrelated meaning in Persian: it refers to a distilled spirit, specifically the traditional Iranian distillate arak. Context always makes clear which meaning is intended. A related common phrase is عرق کردن (araq kardan), meaning to sweat.
How to use it
- از گرما عرق کردم. (Az garmâ araq kardam.) “I sweated from the heat.”
- بعد از ورزش عرقم درومده. (Ba’d az varzesh araq-am dar-umade.) “I’ve broken a sweat after working out.”
- پیراهنم از عرق خیس شد. (Pirâhanam az araq khis shod.) “My shirt got soaked with sweat.”
- عرق سردم گرفته، حالم خوب نیست. (Araq-e sardam gereft-e, hâlam khob nist.) “I have a cold sweat, I don’t feel well.”
Cultural note
In Iranian fitness culture, sweating during exercise, called عرق کردن, is seen as a sign of effort and a healthy body. Traditional Persian medicine also attached significance to perspiration as a way the body expels impurities. The phrase عرق ریختن (araq rikhtan, to shed sweat) is used metaphorically to mean working hard or putting in great effort, similar to the English phrase “to sweat over something.” Cold sweat, عرق سرد (araq-e sard), is specifically noted in everyday speech as a sign of fear or illness.