صفة

See also: صفه

Arabic

Etymology 1

Root
و ص ف (w ṣ f)
7 terms

Compare وَصَفَ (waṣafa, to describe, to characterize).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sˤi.fa/

Noun

صِفَة • (ṣifaf (plural صِفَات (ṣifāt))

  1. verbal noun of وَصَفَ (waṣafa) (form I)
  2. quality, feature, characteristic
  3. (grammar) adjective (morphological category)
    Synonym: وَصْف (waṣf)
    Hyponyms: صِفَة مُشَبَّهَة (ṣifa(t) mušabbaha), اِسْم فَاعِل (ism fāʕil), اِسْم مَفْعُول (ism mafʕūl), اِسْم تَفْضِيل (ism tafḍīl)
  4. (grammar) a word or phrase that modifies a noun
    Synonym: نَعْت (naʕt)
  5. attribute
Declension
Declension of noun صِفَة (ṣifa)
singular singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
indefinite definite construct
informal صِفَة
ṣifa
الصِّفَة
aṣ-ṣifa
صِفَة
ṣifat
nominative صِفَةٌ
ṣifatun
الصِّفَةُ
aṣ-ṣifatu
صِفَةُ
ṣifatu
accusative صِفَةً
ṣifatan
الصِّفَةَ
aṣ-ṣifata
صِفَةَ
ṣifata
genitive صِفَةٍ
ṣifatin
الصِّفَةِ
aṣ-ṣifati
صِفَةِ
ṣifati
dual indefinite definite construct
informal صِفَتَيْن
ṣifatayn
الصِّفَتَيْن
aṣ-ṣifatayn
صِفَتَيْ
ṣifatay
nominative صِفَتَانِ
ṣifatāni
الصِّفَتَانِ
aṣ-ṣifatāni
صِفَتَا
ṣifatā
accusative صِفَتَيْنِ
ṣifatayni
الصِّفَتَيْنِ
aṣ-ṣifatayni
صِفَتَيْ
ṣifatay
genitive صِفَتَيْنِ
ṣifatayni
الصِّفَتَيْنِ
aṣ-ṣifatayni
صِفَتَيْ
ṣifatay
plural sound feminine plural
indefinite definite construct
informal صِفَات
ṣifāt
الصِّفَات
aṣ-ṣifāt
صِفَات
ṣifāt
nominative صِفَاتٌ
ṣifātun
الصِّفَاتُ
aṣ-ṣifātu
صِفَاتُ
ṣifātu
accusative صِفَاتٍ
ṣifātin
الصِّفَاتِ
aṣ-ṣifāti
صِفَاتِ
ṣifāti
genitive صِفَاتٍ
ṣifātin
الصِّفَاتِ
aṣ-ṣifāti
صِفَاتِ
ṣifāti
Descendants
  • Armenian: սֆաթ (sfatʻ), սփաթ (spʻatʻ)
  • Classical Persian: صِفَت (sifat)
  • Georgian: სიფათი (sipati)
  • Malay: sifat
  • Swahili: sifa

Further reading

  • Carter, Michael George (2017) “The Seven Deadly Sins of Arabic Studies”, in Manuel Sartori, Manuela E. B. Giolfo, Philippe Cassuto, editors, Approaches to the History and Dialectology of Arabic in Honor of Pierre Larcher (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics; 88), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 521–522, 527–531

Etymology 2

From Aramaic צִפָּא / צִיפָּא (ṣippā), צִפְּתָא / צִיפְּתָא (sippəṯā) / ܨܝܦܬܐ / ܨܶܦ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ (ṣeppəṯā, mat), suspected to be from Akkadian 𒍦𒉺𒀀𒌅 (ṣip-pa-a-tu /⁠ṣippatu⁠/, a type of reed), or instead סִפָּא / סִיפָּא (sippā) / ܣܷܦܴ݁ܐ (seppā, threshold, doorpost), alleged to be from Akkadian 𒈨𒁍 (sip-pu /⁠sippu⁠/, doorsill) but possibly cognate to it.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sˤuf.fa/

Noun

صُفَّة • (ṣuffaf (plural صُفَف (ṣufaf) or صِفَاف (ṣifāf))

  1. bench, stone bench
  2. sofa, sill, shelf, console
  3. vestibule, anteroom, entrance-room, portico, an elevated room over or before an edifice including a mosque and even over a sepulchre
    أَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِʔahlu ṣ-ṣuffatithe companions of the prophet Mohammed
  4. seat of a saddle
  5. a small part, a little of
  6. a short while, a trice
Declension
Declension of noun صُفَّة (ṣuffa)
singular singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
indefinite definite construct
informal صُفَّة
ṣuffa
الصُّفَّة
aṣ-ṣuffa
صُفَّة
ṣuffat
nominative صُفَّةٌ
ṣuffatun
الصُّفَّةُ
aṣ-ṣuffatu
صُفَّةُ
ṣuffatu
accusative صُفَّةً
ṣuffatan
الصُّفَّةَ
aṣ-ṣuffata
صُفَّةَ
ṣuffata
genitive صُفَّةٍ
ṣuffatin
الصُّفَّةِ
aṣ-ṣuffati
صُفَّةِ
ṣuffati
dual indefinite definite construct
informal صُفَّتَيْن
ṣuffatayn
الصُّفَّتَيْن
aṣ-ṣuffatayn
صُفَّتَيْ
ṣuffatay
nominative صُفَّتَانِ
ṣuffatāni
الصُّفَّتَانِ
aṣ-ṣuffatāni
صُفَّتَا
ṣuffatā
accusative صُفَّتَيْنِ
ṣuffatayni
الصُّفَّتَيْنِ
aṣ-ṣuffatayni
صُفَّتَيْ
ṣuffatay
genitive صُفَّتَيْنِ
ṣuffatayni
الصُّفَّتَيْنِ
aṣ-ṣuffatayni
صُفَّتَيْ
ṣuffatay
plural basic broken plural triptote
indefinite definite construct
informal صُفَف‎; صِفَاف
ṣufaf‎; ṣifāf
الصُّفَف‎; الصِّفَاف
aṣ-ṣufaf‎; aṣ-ṣifāf
صُفَف‎; صِفَاف
ṣufaf‎; ṣifāf
nominative صُفَفٌ‎; صِفَافٌ
ṣufafun‎; ṣifāfun
الصُّفَفُ‎; الصِّفَافُ
aṣ-ṣufafu‎; aṣ-ṣifāfu
صُفَفُ‎; صِفَافُ
ṣufafu‎; ṣifāfu
accusative صُفَفًا‎; صِفَافًا
ṣufafan‎; ṣifāfan
الصُّفَفَ‎; الصِّفَافَ
aṣ-ṣufafa‎; aṣ-ṣifāfa
صُفَفَ‎; صِفَافَ
ṣufafa‎; ṣifāfa
genitive صُفَفٍ‎; صِفَافٍ
ṣufafin‎; ṣifāfin
الصُّفَفِ‎; الصِّفَافِ
aṣ-ṣufafi‎; aṣ-ṣifāfi
صُفَفِ‎; صِفَافِ
ṣufafi‎; ṣifāfi
Descendants
  • Ottoman Turkish: صفه (suffa, sofa)
    • Turkish: sofa
    • French: sofa (see there for further descendants)

References

  • Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 287–288
  • Freytag, Georg (1833) “صفة”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum[7] (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 502a
  • Michael Jan de Goeje, editor (1879), Indices, glossarium et addenda et emendanda ad part. I–III (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 7)‎[8] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1879, page 281
  • Kaufman, Stephen A. (1974) The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Assyriological Studies; 19)‎[9], Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 92
  • Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “صفة”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc[10] (in French), volume 1, Paris: Maisonneuve et Cie, page 1343b
  • Lane, Edward William (1863-1893) “صفة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1693c–1694.

References