Arabic

Proper noun

الْمُحِيط الْهَادِي • ‎(al-muḥīṭ al-hādī) m

1. (proscribed) Alternative spelling of الْمُحِيط الْهَادِئ ‎(al-muḥīṭ al-hādiʾ)

Declension

Usage notes

• الْمُحِيط الْهَادِئ ‎(al-muḥīṭ al-hādiʾ) is a calque of "Pacific Ocean"; the second element, هَادِئ ‎(hādiʾ, “calm, peaceful”) is a translation of "pacific." The spelling الْمُحِيط الْهَادِي ‎(al-muḥīṭ al-hādī) uses the active participle of هَدَى ‎(hadā, “guide”) instead of هَادِئ ‎(hādiʾ); thus, instead of "Pacific Ocean," it literally means "Guiding Ocean" and is therefore regarded by some as a misspelling. Nevertheless, the form has achieved widespread use and is regularly published in major media outlets such as Al-Jazeera^[1] and Asharq al-Awsat^[2]; it may therefore be considered a valid alternative spelling of الْمُحِيط الْهَادِئ ‎(al-muḥīṭ al-hādiʾ).

References

1. ↑ “إعصار يضرب فانواتو قد يكون الأسوأ في المحيط الهادي”, in Al-Jazeera, 2015-3-14
2. ↑ “مباحثات بين كوريا الجنوبية واليابان والصين”, in Asharq al-Awsat, 2015-7-19