Learn Arabic › B2 › جَنّ
جَنّ
to go mad, be seized by madness (most often in the set phrase جَنَّ جُنُونُهُ, "his madness took hold of him") /ˈdʒan.na/
verbB2#3208 most common
Also: to cover, envelop (of darkness falling over someone), to be overcome, driven wild (with rage or excitement)
Example sentences
جَنَّ جُنُونُهُ.
He went mad.
جَنَّ جُنُونُ الجُمهورِ فَرَحًا بِالفَوزِ.
The crowd went wild with joy at the win.
يَكادُ يَجُنّ كُلَّما تَأَخَّرَتْ عَنْ مَوْعِدِها.
He almost loses his mind every time she is late for her appointment.
جَنَنْتُ مِنَ القَلَقِ عَلَيْكِ عِندَما لَمْ تُجِيبِي عَلَى اتِّصالِي.
I went out of my mind with worry about you when you didn't answer my call.
لَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا فَقالَ هَذا رَبِّي.
When the night covered him, he saw a star and said, 'This is my Lord.'
سَيَجُنّ جُنُونُ النُّقّادِ إِذا عَلِمُوا بِهَذا القَرارِ المُفاجِئِ الَّذي اتَّخَذَتْهُ الإِدارةُ.
The critics will fly into a rage when they learn of this sudden decision the administration made.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَجُنّ | جَنَنْتُ | سَأَجُنّ |
| 2sg | تَجُنّ | جَنَنْتَ | سَتَجُنّ |
| 3sg | يَجُنّ | جَنَّ | سَيَجُنّ |
| 1pl | نَجُنّ | جَنَنَّا | سَنَجُنّ |
| 2pl | تَجُنُّونَ | جَنَنْتُم | سَتَجُنُّونَ |
| 3pl | يَجُنُّونَ | جَنُّوا | سَيَجُنُّونَ |
Word family
جِنّjinn, supernatural hidden beingsجُنُونmadness, insanityمَجْنُونinsane, crazy
جَنَّةgarden, paradise
جَنِينfetus, embryo
Etymology
The verb comes from the Semitic triliteral root ج-ن-ن (j-n-n), whose core sense is 'to cover, hide, conceal.' From this root Arabic built a whole family of words for things that are hidden: جِنّ (jinn, hidden beings), جَنِين (janīn, a fetus hidden in the womb), and جَنَّة (janna, a garden or paradise concealed by its own foliage or walls). Madness joined this family because it was seen as a veil cast over the mind, so جَنَّ came to mean 'to be covered' by madness, that is, to go mad.
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