Learn Arabic › A2 › أَمْسَك
أَمْسَك
to hold (onto), grasp /ˈʔam.sa.ka/
verbA2#992 most common
Also: to seize, grab, to catch, to hold back, refrain
Example sentences
أَمْسَكَ الْوَلَدُ الْكُرَةَ.
The boy caught the ball.
أَمْسَكْتُ يَدَ أُمِّي بِقُوَّةٍ.
I held my mother's hand tightly.
أَمْسَكَتِ الشُّرْطَةُ اللِّصَّ فِي السُّوقِ.
The police caught the thief in the market.
أَمْسِكْ بِالْحَبْلِ جَيِّداً حَتَّى لَا تَقَعَ.
Hold the rope tightly so you do not fall.
أَمْسَكَ نَفْسَهُ عَنِ الْغَضَبِ رَغْمَ الِاسْتِفْزَازِ.
He held himself back from anger despite the provocation.
مَنْ أَمْسَكَ لِسَانَهُ نَجَا مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمَتَاعِبِ.
Whoever holds his tongue is spared much trouble.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أُمْسِكُ (ʾumsiku) | أَمْسَكْتُ (ʾamsaktu) | سَأُمْسِكُ (saʾumsiku) |
| 2sg | تُمْسِكُ (tumsiku) | أَمْسَكْتَ (ʾamsakta) | سَتُمْسِكُ (satumsiku) |
| 3sg | يُمْسِكُ (yumsiku) | أَمْسَكَ (ʾamsaka) | سَيُمْسِكُ (sayumsiku) |
| 1pl | نُمْسِكُ (numsiku) | أَمْسَكْنَا (ʾamsaknā) | سَنُمْسِكُ (sanumsiku) |
| 2pl | تُمْسِكُونَ (tumsikūna) | أَمْسَكْتُمْ (ʾamsaktum) | سَتُمْسِكُونَ (satumsikūna) |
| 3pl | يُمْسِكُونَ (yumsikūna) | أَمْسَكُوا (ʾamsakū) | سَيُمْسِكُونَ (sayumsikūna) |
Word family
إِمْسَاك (ʾimsāk)holding; abstaining; the pre-dawn start of the fast in Ramadan
مُمْسِك (mumsik)holder; one who holds (also: stingy person)
تَمَسَّكَ (tamassaka)to cling to, hold fast to
مُتَمَسِّك (mutamassik)adhering, clinging (e.g. to principles)
مَمْسَك (mamsak)handhold, grip, place to grasp
Etymology
أَمْسَكَ comes from the triconsonantal Semitic root م-س-ك, which carries the sense of holding and gripping. It is the Form IV verb on the أَفْعَلَ pattern, which often adds a causative or factitive shade to the base meaning. The same root yields the verbal noun إِمْسَاك, the act of holding or abstaining.
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