صورة

Arabic

Etymology 1

While it would be possible to comprehend it from يَصُورُ (yaṣūru, “to make bent towards a shape”), in the same fashion as سُنّة (sunna, “image, figure, form, external appearance”) is from سَنَّ (sanna, “to mold; to establish”), this would require it to be already Central Semitic in view of Hebrew צוּרָה (ṣūrā́, “form, shape”) and Aramaic צוּרְתָא / ܨܘܪܬܐ (ṣūrtā), and the likelihoods are good that we have a borrowing – in Arabic via the latter – from Akkadian 𒄑𒄯 (iṣurtu, “drawing, plan”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sˤuː.ra/
Audio: (file)

Noun

صُورَة • (ṣūra) f (plural صُوَر (ṣuwar) or صُور (ṣūr) or صِوَر (ṣiwar))

form, shape, figure
image, picture, photograph
Synonym: تَصْوِيرَة (taṣwīra)
copy
Synonym: نُسْخَة (nusḵa)
appearance
attribute
manner
character
face

Declension

Declension of noun **صُورَة** (ṣūra)
singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
singular	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صُورَة ṣūra	الصُّورَة aṣ-ṣūra	صُورَة ṣūrat
nominative	صُورَةٌ ṣūratun	الصُّورَةُ aṣ-ṣūratu	صُورَةُ ṣūratu
accusative	صُورَةً ṣūratan	الصُّورَةَ aṣ-ṣūrata	صُورَةَ ṣūrata
genitive	صُورَةٍ ṣūratin	الصُّورَةِ aṣ-ṣūrati	صُورَةِ ṣūrati
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صُورَتَيْن ṣūratayn	الصُّورَتَيْن aṣ-ṣūratayn	صُورَتَيْ ṣūratay
nominative	صُورَتَانِ ṣūratāni	الصُّورَتَانِ aṣ-ṣūratāni	صُورَتَا ṣūratā
accusative	صُورَتَيْنِ ṣūratayni	الصُّورَتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣūratayni	صُورَتَيْ ṣūratay
genitive	صُورَتَيْنِ ṣūratayni	الصُّورَتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣūratayni	صُورَتَيْ ṣūratay
plural	basic broken plural triptote
plural	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صُوَر‎; صُور‎; صِوَر ṣuwar‎; ṣūr‎; ṣiwar	الصُّوَر‎; الصُّور‎; الصِّوَر aṣ-ṣuwar‎; aṣ-ṣūr‎; aṣ-ṣiwar	صُوَر‎; صُور‎; صِوَر ṣuwar‎; ṣūr‎; ṣiwar
nominative	صُوَرٌ‎; صُورٌ‎; صِوَرٌ ṣuwarun‎; ṣūrun‎; ṣiwarun	الصُّوَرُ‎; الصُّورُ‎; الصِّوَرُ aṣ-ṣuwaru‎; aṣ-ṣūru‎; aṣ-ṣiwaru	صُوَرُ‎; صُورُ‎; صِوَرُ ṣuwaru‎; ṣūru‎; ṣiwaru
accusative	صُوَرًا‎; صُورًا‎; صِوَرًا ṣuwaran‎; ṣūran‎; ṣiwaran	الصُّوَرَ‎; الصُّورَ‎; الصِّوَرَ aṣ-ṣuwara‎; aṣ-ṣūra‎; aṣ-ṣiwara	صُوَرَ‎; صُورَ‎; صِوَرَ ṣuwara‎; ṣūra‎; ṣiwara
genitive	صُوَرٍ‎; صُورٍ‎; صِوَرٍ ṣuwarin‎; ṣūrin‎; ṣiwarin	الصُّوَرِ‎; الصُّورِ‎; الصِّوَرِ aṣ-ṣuwari‎; aṣ-ṣūri‎; aṣ-ṣiwari	صُوَرِ‎; صُورِ‎; صِوَرِ ṣuwari‎; ṣūri‎; ṣiwari

Derived terms

بِصُورَة خَاصَّة (bi-ṣūra ḵāṣṣa, “especially”)
بِصُورَة رَسْمِيَّة (bi-ṣūra rasmiyya, “officially”)
بِصُورَة عَامَّة (bi-sūra ʕāmma, “generally”)
بِصُورَة غَيْر رَسْمِيَّة (bi-ṣūra ḡayr rasmiyya, “unofficially”)
صُورَة شَمْسِيَّة (ṣūra šamsiyya, “photograph”)
صُورَةً (ṣūratan, “formally”)

Descendants

Egyptian Arabic: صورة (ṣūra)
Gulf Arabic: صورة (ṣūra)
South Levantine Arabic: صورة (ṣūra)
Maltese: sura
Moroccan Arabic: صورة (ṣūra)
→ Armenian: սուրաթ (suratʻ)
→ Adyghe: сурэт (surɛt)
→ Bashkir: һүрәт (hürət)
→ Georgian: სურათი (surati)
→ Hausa: sūr̃ā̀
- → Yoruba: súúrà
→ Kazakh: сурет (suret)
→ Kyrgyz: сүрөт (süröt)
→ Maltese: sura
→ Nogai: суьврет (süvret)
→ Persian: صورت (surat)
→ Oromo: suura
→ Swahili: sura
→ Ottoman Turkish: صورت
- → Turkish: surat, suret
→ Tatar: сүрәт (sürät)
→ Turkmen: surat
→ Uyghur: سۈرەت (süret)
→ Uzbek: surat

Etymology 2

Root
ص و ر (ṣ w r)
9 terms

Noun

صَوْرَة • (ṣawra) f (obsolete)

an inclination or desire
an itching on the head

Declension

Declension of noun **صَوْرَة** (ṣawra)
singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
singular	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صَوْرَة ṣawra	الصَّوْرَة aṣ-ṣawra	صَوْرَة ṣawrat
nominative	صَوْرَةٌ ṣawratun	الصَّوْرَةُ aṣ-ṣawratu	صَوْرَةُ ṣawratu
accusative	صَوْرَةً ṣawratan	الصَّوْرَةَ aṣ-ṣawrata	صَوْرَةَ ṣawrata
genitive	صَوْرَةٍ ṣawratin	الصَّوْرَةِ aṣ-ṣawrati	صَوْرَةِ ṣawrati

Etymology 3

Noun

صَوْرَة • (ṣawra) f (plural صِيرَان (ṣīrān)) (obsolete)

alternative form of صَوْر (ṣawr, “small palm-trees”)

Declension

Declension of noun **صَوْرَة** (ṣawra)
singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
singular	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صَوْرَة ṣawra	الصَّوْرَة aṣ-ṣawra	صَوْرَة ṣawrat
nominative	صَوْرَةٌ ṣawratun	الصَّوْرَةُ aṣ-ṣawratu	صَوْرَةُ ṣawratu
accusative	صَوْرَةً ṣawratan	الصَّوْرَةَ aṣ-ṣawrata	صَوْرَةَ ṣawrata
genitive	صَوْرَةٍ ṣawratin	الصَّوْرَةِ aṣ-ṣawrati	صَوْرَةِ ṣawrati
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صَوْرَتَيْن ṣawratayn	الصَّوْرَتَيْن aṣ-ṣawratayn	صَوْرَتَيْ ṣawratay
nominative	صَوْرَتَانِ ṣawratāni	الصَّوْرَتَانِ aṣ-ṣawratāni	صَوْرَتَا ṣawratā
accusative	صَوْرَتَيْنِ ṣawratayni	الصَّوْرَتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣawratayni	صَوْرَتَيْ ṣawratay
genitive	صَوْرَتَيْنِ ṣawratayni	الصَّوْرَتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣawratayni	صَوْرَتَيْ ṣawratay
plural	basic broken plural triptote
plural	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	صِيرَان ṣīrān	الصِّيرَان aṣ-ṣīrān	صِيرَان ṣīrān
nominative	صِيرَانٌ ṣīrānun	الصِّيرَانُ aṣ-ṣīrānu	صِيرَانُ ṣīrānu
accusative	صِيرَانًا ṣīrānan	الصِّيرَانَ aṣ-ṣīrāna	صِيرَانَ ṣīrāna
genitive	صِيرَانٍ ṣīrānin	الصِّيرَانِ aṣ-ṣīrāni	صِيرَانِ ṣīrāni

References

Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “iṣurtu”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, via the electronic Babylonian Library

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic صُورة (ṣūra).

Pronunciation

Noun

صورة • (ṣūra) f

photograph

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ص و ر
3 terms

Etymology

From Arabic صُورَة (ṣūra).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sˤuː.ra/, [ˈsˤuː.rˤɑ]
Audio (Ramallah): (file)

Noun

صورة • (ṣūra) f (plural صور (ṣuwar))

picture, attribute
form, shape, manner