لكن

Arabic

Etymology

Uncertain. Bravmann proposes an origin in إِلَّا كَانَ (ʔillā kāna, “except that [it/he] were”), but does not provide a convincing explanation for the contraction of the ā or for the suspicious similarity to أَنْ (ʔan) and أَنَّ (ʔanna) in the alternation of the ending.[1]

Etymology 1.1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /laː.kin.na/

Conjunction

لٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)

  1. but, however
Usage notes
  • لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) functions like إِنَّ (ʔinna) and أَنَّ (ʔanna), shifting the subject of the subordinate clause to the accusative case. The subject of the subordinate clause must immediately follow لٰكِنَّ (lākinna); if it is a pronoun, it must be expressed. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنْ (lākin) below.
    لٰكِنَّ الرَّئِيسَ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
    lākinna r-raʔīsa kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
    but the president was smarter than people expected
    لٰكِنَّهُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
    lākinnahu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
    but he was smarter than people expected
Inflection
Inflected forms
base form لٰكِنَّ (lākinna)
Personal-pronoun including forms
singular dual plural
m f m f
1st person لٰكِنَّنِي (lākinnanī) لٰكِنَّنَا (lākinnanā)
2nd person لٰكِنَّكَ (lākinnaka) لٰكِنَّكِ (lākinnaki) لٰكِنَّكُمَا (lākinnakumā) لٰكِنَّكُمْ (lākinnakum) لٰكِنَّكُنَّ (lākinnakunna)
3rd person لٰكِنَّهُ (lākinnahu) لٰكِنَّهَا (lākinnahā) لٰكِنَّهُمَا (lākinnahumā) لٰكِنَّهُمْ (lākinnahum) لٰكِنَّهُنَّ (lākinnahunna)
See also

Etymology 1.2

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /laː.kin/

Conjunction

لٰكِنْ • (lākin)

  1. but, however
  2. but, rather
    Synonym: بَلْ (bal)
    لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْ
    lam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhum
    The students didn’t travel but their principal did.
  3. but not, after an affirmative.
Usage notes
  • لٰكِنْ (lākin) acts as a simple conjunction, with the subject of the subordinate clause in the nominative; the subject may follow immediately or be delayed. If it is a pronoun, it may be omitted. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) above.
    لٰكِنِ الرَّئِيسُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
    lākini r-raʔīsu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
    but the president was smarter than people expected
    لٰكِنْ (هُوَ) كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
    lākin (huwa) kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
    but he was smarter than people expected
  • لٰكِنْ (lākin) is often preceded by وَـ (wa-, “and”).
Derived terms
Descendants
  • South Levantine Arabic: لاكن (lāken)
  • → Classical Persian: لیکِن (lēkin), لَٰکِن (lākin), لَاکِن (lākin)
  • → Swahili: lakini
  • → Ottoman Turkish: لكن (lakin)

Etymology 2

Noun

لَكَن • (lakan) m (plural لُكُون (lukūn) or أَلْكَان (ʔalkān))

  1. alternative form of لَقَن (laqan, “basin, bowl”)
Declension
Declension of noun لَكَن (lakan)
singular basic singular triptote
indefinite definite construct
informal لَكَن
lakan 		اللَّكَن
al-lakan 		لَكَن
lakan
nominative لَكَنٌ
lakanun 		اللَّكَنُ
al-lakanu 		لَكَنُ
lakanu
accusative لَكَنًا
lakanan 		اللَّكَنَ
al-lakana 		لَكَنَ
lakana
genitive لَكَنٍ
lakanin 		اللَّكَنِ
al-lakani 		لَكَنِ
lakani
dual indefinite definite construct
informal لَكَنَيْن
lakanayn 		اللَّكَنَيْن
al-lakanayn 		لَكَنَيْ
lakanay
nominative لَكَنَانِ
lakanāni 		اللَّكَنَانِ
al-lakanāni 		لَكَنَا
lakanā
accusative لَكَنَيْنِ
lakanayni 		اللَّكَنَيْنِ
al-lakanayni 		لَكَنَيْ
lakanay
genitive لَكَنَيْنِ
lakanayni 		اللَّكَنَيْنِ
al-lakanayni 		لَكَنَيْ
lakanay
plural basic broken plural triptote
indefinite definite construct
informal لُكُون‎; أَلْكَان
lukūn‎; ʔalkān 		اللُّكُون‎; الْأَلْكَان
al-lukūn‎; al-ʔalkān 		لُكُون‎; أَلْكَان
lukūn‎; ʔalkān
nominative لُكُونٌ‎; أَلْكَانٌ
lukūnun‎; ʔalkānun 		اللُّكُونُ‎; الْأَلْكَانُ
al-lukūnu‎; al-ʔalkānu 		لُكُونُ‎; أَلْكَانُ
lukūnu‎; ʔalkānu
accusative لُكُونًا‎; أَلْكَانًا
lukūnan‎; ʔalkānan 		اللُّكُونَ‎; الْأَلْكَانَ
al-lukūna‎; al-ʔalkāna 		لُكُونَ‎; أَلْكَانَ
lukūna‎; ʔalkāna
genitive لُكُونٍ‎; أَلْكَانٍ
lukūnin‎; ʔalkānin 		اللُّكُونِ‎; الْأَلْكَانِ
al-lukūni‎; al-ʔalkāni 		لُكُونِ‎; أَلْكَانِ
lukūni‎; ʔalkāni

References

  1. ^ Bravmann, Meïr Max (1977) “Arabic lākin(na) and Related Expressions”, in Studies in Semitic Philology (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics; VI), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 338–342

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Persian لگن (lagan, “washbasin”), ultimately from Ancient Greek λεκᾰ́νη (lekắnē, “pot, basin”).

Noun

لكن • (leğen) (definite accusative لكنی (leğeni), plural لكنلر (leğenler))

  1. washbowl, washbasin, a bowl or basin used for washing the hands and face
Derived terms
  • آبدست لكنی (abdest leğeni, “basin for ritual ablutions”)
  • ال لكنی (el leğeni, “smallish washbasin”)
  • بربر لكنی (berber leğeni, “basin used by barbers”)
  • بورون لكنی (burun leğeni, “small basin for inhaling washes into the nostrils”)
  • غاشیه لكنی (gaşiya leğeni, “large metal boss in the middle of a breast-band”)
  • لكن ابریق (leğen ibrik, “basin and ewer”)
  • لكنچه (leğençe, “small washbowl”)
  • چاماشیر لكنی (çamaşır leğeni, “washtub”)
Descendants
  • Gagauz: leen
  • Turkish: leğen, leğın, lehen, len, lan
  • → Albanian: legen
  • → Armenian: լէհէն (lēhēn), լէյէն (lēyēn), լէկէն (lēkēn)
  • → Aromanian: liyeni, liyene, lieni, liene, liyen, lãyin, lãyini, lãyine, lãghin, lãghini, lãghine, ileni, ilene
  • → Bulgarian: леге́н (legén), лее́н (leén), лие́н (lién), леи́н (leín), лии́н (liín), лехи́н (lehín)
  • → Macedonian: леѓен (leǵen)
  • → Romanian: lighean
  • → Serbo-Croatian: lèđen / лѐђен

Further reading

click to expand
  • Barbier de Meynard, Charles (1886) “لكن”, in Dictionnaire turc-français, volume II, Paris: E. Leroux, page 704
  • Bozok, Emrah (2018) Türkçenin söz varlığında temizlik kavram alanı‎[1] (in Turkish), Samsun: Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi · Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü · Türk dili ve edebiyatı anabilimdalı, page 68
  • Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “leğen”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 2950
  • Hindoglu, Artin (1838) “لكن”, in Hazine-i lûgat ou dictionnaire abrégé turc-français‎[2], Vienna: F. Beck, page 412a
  • Kélékian, Diran (1911) “لكن”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎[3] (in French), Constantinople: Mihran, page 1081
  • Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Pelvis”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎[4], Vienna, column 1262
  • Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “لكن”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎[5], Vienna, column 4194
  • Meyer, Gustav (1893) “Türkische Studien. I. Die griechischen und romanischen Bestandtheile im Wortschatze des Osmanisch-Türkischen”, in Sitzungsberichte der philosophisch-historischen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (in German), volume 128, Wien: In Commission bei F. Tempsky, page 50
  • Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “leğen”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
  • Redhouse, James W. (1890) “لكن”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎[6], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1639

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

لكن • (leken) (definite accusative لكنی (lekeni), plural لكنلر (lekenler))

  1. snowshoe made of knitted fabric, worn to prevent the feet from sinking while walking in deep snow
Descendants

Further reading

click to expand

South Levantine Arabic

Conjunction

لكن • (lāken)

  1. alternative spelling of لاكن (lāken, “but, however”)
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