أم

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See also: ام and آم

Arabic

Etymology 1

Root
ء م م (ʔ m m)
7 terms

From Proto-Semitic *ʔimm-. Cognate with Hebrew אם (em).

Pronunciation

Noun

أُمّ (ʔummf (dual أُمَّانِ (ʔummāni), plural أُمَّهَات (ʔummahāt) or أُمَّات (ʔummāt), masculine أَب (ʔab))

  1. mother
  2. origin
  3. source
Declension
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Maltese: omm
  • Malayalam: ഉമ്മ (umma)

Etymology 2

Univerbation of the interrogative particle أَ (ʔa) and the conjunction *ٱِم (*im). Compare إِمَّا (ʔimmā) for disjunction.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

أَمْ (ʔam)

  1. (chiefly after interrogatives) indicates an exclusive disjunction introduced with أَ (ʔa), as in alternative questions
    أَمِنَ الْعِراقِ أَنْتَ أَمْ مِنْ مِصْرَ؟
    ʔamina l-ʕirāqi ʔanta ʔam min miṣra?
    Are you from Iraq or Egypt?
    لَا أَدْرِي أَشَقِيٌّ صَاحِبُكَ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ.
    lā ʔadrī ʔašaqiyyun ṣāḥibuka ʔam saʕīdun.
    I do not know whether your friend is happy or downhearted.
    أَمُحَمَّدٌ أَوْ إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَفْضَلُ أَمْ سَمِيرٌ؟
    ʔamuḥammadun ʔaw ʔibrāhīmu ʔafḍalu ʔam samīrun?
    Is Muhammad or Ibrahim better or is Samir better ?
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 21:109:
      فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ آذَنْتُكُمْ عَلَى سَوَاءٍ وَإِنْ أَدْرِي أَقَرِيبٌ أَم بَعِيدٌ مَّا تُوعَدُونَ
      fa-ʔin tawallaw fa-qul ʔāḏantukum ʕalā sawāʔin wa-ʔin ʔadrī ʔa-qarībun ʔam baʕīdun mā tūʕadūna
      But if they turn away, then say, “I have announced to you equally. And I know not whether near or far is that which you are promised.”
    • 2017 November 4, “مستشار في حملة ترامب يعترف باجراء اتصالات مع مسؤولين روس”, in Al-Quds, archived from the original on 4 November 2017:
      كان قد نفى او تجنب الاجابة في مقابلات سابقة مع الصحيفة حول ما اذا كان قد التقى مسؤولين روسا ام لا.
      He had denied or avoided answering in previous interviews with the paper regarding whether he had met Russian officials or not.
  2. indicates an inclusive disjunction introduced with أَ (ʔa) that denotes sameness, indistinguishability, unimportance, insignificance, or indifference
    أَنَا أُحِبُّكَ سَوَاءٌ (أَ)أَحْبَبْتَنِي أَمْ لَمْ تُحِبَّنِي.
    ʔanā ʔuḥibbuka sawāʔun (ʔa)ʔaḥbabtanī ʔam lam tuḥibbanī.
    I love you, no matter whether you love me or whether you do not love me.
    سَأَفُوزُ سَوَاءٌ (أَ)شِئْتَ أَمْ أَبَيْتَ
    saʔafūzu sawāʔun (ʔa)šiʔta ʔam ʔabayta
    I will win whether you like it or not.
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 63:6:
      سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَسْتَغْفَرْتَ لَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ لَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللّٰهُ لَهُمْ
      sawāʔun ʕalayhim ʔastaḡfarta lahum ʔam lam tastaḡfir lahum lan yaḡfira llāhu lahum
      It is the same for them whether you pray for their forgiveness or whether you do not: Allah will not forgive them.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Swahili: ama

References

  • Tropper, Josef (2003) “Sekundäres wortanlautendes Alif im Arabischen”, in Kogan, Leonid, editor, Studia Semitica (Orientalia: Papers of the Oriental Institute; III), Moscow, →ISBN, pages 201–202

Etymology 3

Root
ء م م (ʔ m m)
7 terms

Pronunciation

Verb

أَمَّ (ʔamma) I (non-past يَؤُمُّ (yaʔummu), verbal noun أَمّ (ʔamm))

  1. to go, to go to see, to repair (to a place)
    أم مدينة لندن
    to go to London
Conjugation
Synonyms

Verb

أَمَّ (ʔamma) I (non-past يَؤُمُّ (yaʔummu), verbal noun أَمّ (ʔamm) or إِمَامَة (ʔimāma))

  1. to lead the way, to lead by example
    أم الناسto lead the people
    1. to lead in prayer
Conjugation

Noun

أَمّ (ʔammm

  1. verbal noun of أَمَّ (ʔamma) (form I)
Declension

Verb

أَمَّ (ʔamma) I (non-past يَؤُمُّ (yaʔummu), verbal noun أُمُومَة (ʔumūma))

  1. to become a mother
Conjugation

Egyptian Arabic

Pronunciation

Noun

أمّ ('umm)

  1. mother

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Learned borrowing from Arabic أُمّ (ʔumm).

Noun

أم (ʔummf

  1. Alternative form of إم (ʔimm)
    اللغة الأمil-luḡa il-ʔummnative language, mother tongue
    Audio (Ramallah):(file)