Via an Aramaic term retained in Classical Syriac ܣܓܘܣܛܪܐ (səgosṭārā) and other Syriac spellings from Ancient Greek ζυγοστάτης (zugostátēs, “weigher”), which also passed into Latin zygostatēs. For the stem ending in ـس (-s), maybe also denoting the occupation after ζυγοστασία (zugostasía), ζυγοστάτησις (zugostátēsis, “weighing”). Influenced by قِسْط (qisṭ, “share”).
قُسْطَاس or قِسْطَاس • (qusṭās or qisṭās) m (plural قَسَاطِيس (qasāṭīs))
After antiquity, when the word was no more understood, occurrences such as in the Qurʾān were frequently interpreted as “balance, scales”, and reused as such in few book titles and technical texts – e.g. the 1121 work كِتَاب مِيزَان الْحِكْمَة (kitāb mīzān al-ḥikma) of Al-Ḵāzinīy, surely not abiding by living language – including the particular phrasing الْقِسْطَاس الْمُسْتَقِيم (al-qisṭās al-mustaqīm) from Q 26:182.
| Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | قُسْطَاس; قِسْطَاس qusṭās; qisṭās |
الْقُسْطَاس; الْقِسْطَاس al-qusṭās; al-qisṭās |
قُسْطَاس; قِسْطَاس qusṭās; qisṭās |
| Nominative | قُسْطَاسٌ; قِسْطَاسٌ qusṭāsun; qisṭāsun |
الْقُسْطَاسُ; الْقِسْطَاسُ al-qusṭāsu; al-qisṭāsu |
قُسْطَاسُ; قِسْطَاسُ qusṭāsu; qisṭāsu |
| Accusative | قُسْطَاسًا; قِسْطَاسًا qusṭāsan; qisṭāsan |
الْقُسْطَاسَ; الْقِسْطَاسَ al-qusṭāsa; al-qisṭāsa |
قُسْطَاسَ; قِسْطَاسَ qusṭāsa; qisṭāsa |
| Genitive | قُسْطَاسٍ; قِسْطَاسٍ qusṭāsin; qisṭāsin |
الْقُسْطَاسِ; الْقِسْطَاسِ al-qusṭāsi; al-qisṭāsi |
قُسْطَاسِ; قِسْطَاسِ qusṭāsi; qisṭāsi |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | قُسْطَاسَيْن; قِسْطَاسَيْن qusṭāsayn; qisṭāsayn |
الْقُسْطَاسَيْن; الْقِسْطَاسَيْن al-qusṭāsayn; al-qisṭāsayn |
قُسْطَاسَيْ; قِسْطَاسَيْ qusṭāsay; qisṭāsay |
| Nominative | قُسْطَاسَانِ; قِسْطَاسَانِ qusṭāsāni; qisṭāsāni |
الْقُسْطَاسَانِ; الْقِسْطَاسَانِ al-qusṭāsāni; al-qisṭāsāni |
قُسْطَاسَا; قِسْطَاسَا qusṭāsā; qisṭāsā |
| Accusative | قُسْطَاسَيْنِ; قِسْطَاسَيْنِ qusṭāsayni; qisṭāsayni |
الْقُسْطَاسَيْنِ; الْقِسْطَاسَيْنِ al-qusṭāsayni; al-qisṭāsayni |
قُسْطَاسَيْ; قِسْطَاسَيْ qusṭāsay; qisṭāsay |
| Genitive | قُسْطَاسَيْنِ; قِسْطَاسَيْنِ qusṭāsayni; qisṭāsayni |
الْقُسْطَاسَيْنِ; الْقِسْطَاسَيْنِ al-qusṭāsayni; al-qisṭāsayni |
قُسْطَاسَيْ; قِسْطَاسَيْ qusṭāsay; qisṭāsay |
| Plural | basic broken plural diptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | قَسَاطِيس qasāṭīs |
الْقَسَاطِيس al-qasāṭīs |
قَسَاطِيس qasāṭīs |
| Nominative | قَسَاطِيسُ qasāṭīsu |
الْقَسَاطِيسُ al-qasāṭīsu |
قَسَاطِيسُ qasāṭīsu |
| Accusative | قَسَاطِيسَ qasāṭīsa |
الْقَسَاطِيسَ al-qasāṭīsa |
قَسَاطِيسَ qasāṭīsa |
| Genitive | قَسَاطِيسَ qasāṭīsa |
الْقَسَاطِيسِ al-qasāṭīsi |
قَسَاطِيسِ qasāṭīsi |