طاغوت
Arabic
Etymology
Ordered at the root ط غ و (ṭ ḡ w) or ط غ ي (ṭ ḡ y) related to transgression and explained as a being “transgressing the law”. However it is considered a loanword:
- from Ge'ez ጣዖት (ṭaʿot, “idol”), from Hebrew טָעוּת (ṭaʿút, “error”), from Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and Jewish Palestinian Aramaic טעותא (ṭaʿúta, “idol, false god”)
- with Wahib Atallah from Egyptian ḏḥwtj (“Thoth”) as a personification of superstitious practices, while he sees جِبْت (jibt) used with طَاغُوت (ṭāḡūt) in hendiadys in Qurʾān 4:51 as reflecting Hijazi pronunciation of قِبْط (qibṭ, “Egyptians”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tˤaː.ɣuːt/
Noun
طَاغُوت • (ṭāḡūt) m (plural طَوَاغِيت (ṭawāḡīt))
- idol, juggernaut, taghut
- 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:256:
- لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي ٱلدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَيِّ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا ٱنْفِصَامَ لَهَا وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
- lā ʔikrāha fī d-dīni qad tabayyana r-rušdu mina l-ḡayyi faman yakfur bi-ṭ-ṭāḡūti wa-yuʔmin bi-llahi faqadi stamsaka bi-l-ʕurwati l-wuṯqā lā nfiṣāma lahā wa-llahu samīʕun ʕalīmun
- There shall be no compulsion in the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in false idols and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And God is Hearing and Knowing.
Declension
| singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | طَاغُوت ṭāḡūt |
الطَّاغُوت aṭ-ṭāḡūt |
طَاغُوت ṭāḡūt |
| nominative | طَاغُوتٌ ṭāḡūtun |
الطَّاغُوتُ aṭ-ṭāḡūtu |
طَاغُوتُ ṭāḡūtu |
| accusative | طَاغُوتًا ṭāḡūtan |
الطَّاغُوتَ aṭ-ṭāḡūta |
طَاغُوتَ ṭāḡūta |
| genitive | طَاغُوتٍ ṭāḡūtin |
الطَّاغُوتِ aṭ-ṭāḡūti |
طَاغُوتِ ṭāḡūti |
| dual | indefinite | definite | construct |
| informal | طَاغُوتَيْن ṭāḡūtayn |
الطَّاغُوتَيْن aṭ-ṭāḡūtayn |
طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay |
| nominative | طَاغُوتَانِ ṭāḡūtāni |
الطَّاغُوتَانِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtāni |
طَاغُوتَا ṭāḡūtā |
| accusative | طَاغُوتَيْنِ ṭāḡūtayni |
الطَّاغُوتَيْنِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtayni |
طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay |
| genitive | طَاغُوتَيْنِ ṭāḡūtayni |
الطَّاغُوتَيْنِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtayni |
طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay |
| plural | basic broken plural diptote | ||
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | طَوَاغِيت ṭawāḡīt |
الطَّوَاغِيت aṭ-ṭawāḡīt |
طَوَاغِيت ṭawāḡīt |
| nominative | طَوَاغِيتُ ṭawāḡītu |
الطَّوَاغِيتُ aṭ-ṭawāḡītu |
طَوَاغِيتُ ṭawāḡītu |
| accusative | طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta |
الطَّوَاغِيتَ aṭ-ṭawāḡīta |
طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta |
| genitive | طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta |
الطَّوَاغِيتِ aṭ-ṭawāḡīti |
طَوَاغِيتِ ṭawāḡīti |
References
- Ahrens, Karl (1930) “Christliches im Qoran. Eine Nachlese”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft[1] (in German), volume 84, page 23
- Atallah, Wahib (1970) “Ğibt et tāğūt dans le Coran”, in Arabica, volume 17, , pages 69-82
- Geiger, Abraham (1833, 1902) Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen? (in German), 2nd edition, Leipzig: M. W. Kaufmann, page 55
- Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, , page 35
- Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft[3] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, , page 48