Learn Arabic › B2 › أَنْف
أَنْف
nose /ˈʔanf/
nounB2#3097 most common
Also: nostril (in some contexts), muzzle/snout (of an animal)
Example sentences
هٰذَا أَنْفِي.
This is my nose.
أَنْفُ الطِّفْلِ صَغِيرٌ.
The child's nose is small.
يُغَطِّي أَنْفَهُ عِنْدَمَا يَعْطِسُ.
He covers his nose when he sneezes.
تَنَفَّسْ مِنْ أَنْفِكَ بِبُطْءٍ لِتَهْدَأَ.
Breathe slowly through your nose to calm down.
فَعَلَ ذٰلِكَ رَغْمَ أَنْفِهِ.
He did that despite himself, against his own will.
تَعَلَّمَتِ الكِلَابُ البُولِيسِيَّةُ تَمْيِيزَ الرَّوَائِحِ بِأُنُوفِهَا الحَسَّاسَةِ.
Police dogs learned to distinguish scents with their sensitive noses.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | أَنْفٌ | أُنُوفٌ |
| Genitive | أَنْفٍ | أُنُوفٍ |
| Accusative | أَنْفًا | أُنُوفًا |
| Vocative | يَا أَنْفُ | يَا أُنُوفُ |
Word family
أَنْفِيّnasal, of the nose
أَنِفَto disdain, be too proud to accept
أَنَفَةself-respect, pride
أَنُوفeasily offended, quick to take umbrage
Etymology
Arabic أَنْف comes from a common Semitic root for nose, not from an Indo-European source, so no PIE root applies here. The same root also gave rise to words for pride and disdain in Arabic, since raising or wrinkling the nose is a old sign of arrogance or refusal. This double sense, body part and pride, runs through several related Semitic languages.
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