באסה

The word "באסה" (baasa) entered mainstream Hebrew around 1980, but its origins are older. The word comes from Arabic "باس" (ba's), meaning "bad" or "suffering", which appears in the Quran and is still used in various Arabic dialects (particularly Egyptian, Syrian, and Iraqi Arabic) to describe a bad situation or depression. The term was first brought to Israel by Middle Eastern Jewish immigrants in the 1950s, who used it in their homes when speaking Arabic. Their children then incorporated it into their Hebrew, and it spread through military service where soldiers from different backgrounds mixed. The word became widely known in mainstream Israeli society after journalist Amos Levav documented it in 1980 after hearing it used by drivers in his military reserve unit.