Learn Arabic › A1 › بِضْع
بِضْع
several (a few; a number from three to nine) /ˈbidˤʕ/
nounA1#577 most common
Also: a few, some, a handful of
Example sentences
عِنْدي بِضْعَةُ كُتُبٍ.
I have a few books.
اِنْتَظَرْتُ بِضْعَ دَقائِقَ ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ.
I waited a few minutes, then I left.
سافَرَ أخي إلى الخارِجِ مُنْذُ بِضْعَةِ أشهُرٍ.
My brother traveled abroad a few months ago.
قَرَأْتُ بِضْعَ صَفَحاتٍ مِنَ الكِتابِ قَبْلَ أن أنامَ.
I read a few pages of the book before sleeping.
لَبِثَ الرَّجُلُ في السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنينَ ثُمَّ أُفرِجَ عنه.
The man remained in prison several years, then he was released.
في بِضْعِ سَنَواتٍ تَبَدَّلَتْ مَلامِحُ المَدينةِ تَبَدُّلاً جَذرِيّاً لم يَتَوَقَّعْهُ أحَدٌ.
In a few years the city's character changed radically in a way no one had expected.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | بِضْعٌ | None |
| Genitive | بِضْعٍ | None |
| Accusative | بِضْعاً | None |
| Vocative | None | None |
Word family
بِضْعَةa piece, a portion
بِضَاعَةmerchandise, goods
بَضَعَto cut, dissect
مِبْضَعscalpel, lancet
Etymology
بِضْع comes from the Semitic root b-ḍ-ʿ, whose core sense is cutting off a portion. The same root yields بِضْعة, a piece of flesh, and بِضاعة, goods set aside for trade. As a number word, بِضْع names a portion cut from a larger count, an indefinite few between three and nine.
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