Learn Arabic › B2 › تَعَقَّب
تَعَقَّب
to track, to pursue (someone or something) /taˈʕaqːaba/
verbB2#4008 most common
Also: to trail, to follow up on, to trace
Example sentences
الشرطي يتعقّب اللص.
The policeman tracks the thief.
تعقّبتُ أثر القطة في الحديقة.
I traced the cat's tracks in the garden.
تتعقّب الشرطة المشتبه به منذ الصباح.
The police have been tracking the suspect since morning.
قررت الشركة أن تتعقّب شحناتها إلكترونيًا لضمان وصولها بأمان.
The company decided to track its shipments electronically to make sure they arrive safely.
تعقّب المحقق خيوط القضية بصبر حتى كشف الفاعل الحقيقي.
The investigator patiently traced the threads of the case until he uncovered the real culprit.
تمكنت الأقمار الصناعية من تعقّب مسار العاصفة بدقة متناهية قبل أن تصل إلى الساحل.
The satellites managed to track the storm's path with extreme precision before it reached the coast.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أتعقّب | تعقّبتُ | سأتعقّب |
| 2sg | تتعقّب | تعقّبتَ | ستتعقّب |
| 3sg | يتعقّب | تعقّب | سيتعقّب |
| 1pl | نتعقّب | تعقّبنا | سنتعقّب |
| 2pl | تتعقّبون | تعقّبتم | ستتعقّبون |
| 3pl | يتعقّبون | تعقّبوا | سيتعقّبون |
Word family
عَقِبheel
عَاقِبةconsequence, outcome
تَعْقِيبcomment, follow-up remark
عُقُوبةpunishment
تَعَاقُبsuccession, alternation
Etymology
The verb comes from the Semitic root ʿ-q-b, which centers on the idea of the heel and what comes after it. Classical Arabic built the noun ʿaqib, heel, from this root, then extended it to mean following behind or coming after in sequence. The Form V verb taʿaqqaba adds a reflexive-intensive pattern to this idea, giving the sense of doggedly following in someone's footsteps, that is, tracking or pursuing them.
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