امرأة

Arabic

Root
م ر ء (m r ʔ)
3 terms

Alternative forms

• مَرْأة (marʔa), (construct state, non-standard) اِمْرَأَت (imraʔat)

Etymology

Compare its plural forms to Hebrew נשים (nashím, “women”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /im.ra.ʔa/

• Audio; “ٱمْرَأَةٌ” (“mraʔatun”, nominative indefinite singular):

  (file)

Noun

اِمْرَأَة • (imraʔa) f (definite state الْمَرْأَة (al-marʔa), dual اِمْرَأَتَانِ (imraʔatāni), plural نِسَاء (nisāʔ) or نِسْوَة (niswa) or نِسْوَان (niswān) or نُسْوَة (nuswa) or نُسْوَان (nuswān))

1. woman
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 4:12:

     وَإِنْ كَانَ رَجُلٌ يُورَثُ كَلَالَةً أَوِ ٱمْرَأَةٌ وَلَهُ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ فَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا ٱلسُّدُسُ

     wa-ʔin kāna rajulun yūraṯu kalālatan ʔawi mraʔatun wa-lahu ʔaḵun ʔaw ʔuḵtun fa-li-kulli wāḥidin minhumā s-sudusu

     And if a man or woman leaves neither ascendants nor descendants but has a brother or a sister, then for each one of them is a sixth.

2. (construct state) wife

   Synonyms: زَوْج (zawj) (Classical Arabic), زَوْجَة (zawja)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:21:

     وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِي ٱشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ

     wa-qāla llaḏī štarāhu min miṣra li-mraʔatihi ʔakrimī maṯwāhu

     And the one from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, "Make his residence comfortable."

Usage notes

The plurals are suppletive, coming from a different root from the singular.

Declension

Declension of noun اِمْرَأَة (imraʔa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَة imraʔa	الْمَرْأَة al-marʔa	اِمْرَأَة imraʔat
Nominative	اِمْرَأَةٌ imraʔatun	الْمَرْأَةُ al-marʔatu	اِمْرَأَةُ imraʔatu
Accusative	اِمْرَأَةً imraʔatan	الْمَرْأَةَ al-marʔata	اِمْرَأَةَ imraʔata
Genitive	اِمْرَأَةٍ imraʔatin	الْمَرْأَةِ al-marʔati	اِمْرَأَةِ imraʔati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَتَيْن imraʔatayn	الْمَرْأَتَيْن al-marʔatayn	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Nominative	اِمْرَأَتَانِ imraʔatāni	الْمَرْأَتَانِ al-marʔatāni	اِمْرَأَتَا imraʔatā
Accusative	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ imraʔatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ al-marʔatayni	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Genitive	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ imraʔatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ al-marʔatayni	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نِسَاء‎; نِسْوَة‎; نِسْوَان‎; نُسْوَة‎; نُسْوَان nisāʔ‎; niswa‎; niswān‎; nuswa‎; nuswān	النِّسَاء‎; النِّسْوَة‎; النِّسْوَان‎; النُّسْوَة‎; النُّسْوَان an-nisāʔ‎; an-niswa‎; an-niswān‎; an-nuswa‎; an-nuswān	نِسَاء‎; نِسْوَة‎; نِسْوَان‎; نُسْوَة‎; نُسْوَان nisāʔ‎; niswat‎; niswān‎; nuswat‎; nuswān
Nominative	نِسَاءٌ‎; نِسْوَةٌ‎; نِسْوَانٌ‎; نُسْوَةٌ‎; نُسْوَانٌ nisāʔun‎; niswatun‎; niswānun‎; nuswatun‎; nuswānun	النِّسَاءُ‎; النِّسْوَةُ‎; النِّسْوَانُ‎; النُّسْوَةُ‎; النُّسْوَانُ an-nisāʔu‎; an-niswatu‎; an-niswānu‎; an-nuswatu‎; an-nuswānu	نِسَاءُ‎; نِسْوَةُ‎; نِسْوَانُ‎; نُسْوَةُ‎; نُسْوَانُ nisāʔu‎; niswatu‎; niswānu‎; nuswatu‎; nuswānu
Accusative	نِسَاءً‎; نِسْوَةً‎; نِسْوَانًا‎; نُسْوَةً‎; نُسْوَانًا nisāʔan‎; niswatan‎; niswānan‎; nuswatan‎; nuswānan	النِّسَاءَ‎; النِّسْوَةَ‎; النِّسْوَانَ‎; النُّسْوَةَ‎; النُّسْوَانَ an-nisāʔa‎; an-niswata‎; an-niswāna‎; an-nuswata‎; an-nuswāna	نِسَاءَ‎; نِسْوَةَ‎; نِسْوَانَ‎; نُسْوَةَ‎; نُسْوَانَ nisāʔa‎; niswata‎; niswāna‎; nuswata‎; nuswāna
Genitive	نِسَاءٍ‎; نِسْوَةٍ‎; نِسْوَانٍ‎; نُسْوَةٍ‎; نُسْوَانٍ nisāʔin‎; niswatin‎; niswānin‎; nuswatin‎; nuswānin	النِّسَاءِ‎; النِّسْوَةِ‎; النِّسْوَانِ‎; النُّسْوَةِ‎; النُّسْوَانِ an-nisāʔi‎; an-niswati‎; an-niswāni‎; an-nuswati‎; an-nuswāni	نِسَاءِ‎; نِسْوَةِ‎; نِسْوَانِ‎; نُسْوَةِ‎; نُسْوَانِ nisāʔi‎; niswati‎; niswāni‎; nuswati‎; nuswāni

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “مرء”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN