Learn Arabic › B1 › حَتْم
حَتْم
inevitability /ˈħatm/
nounB1#2180 most common
Also: certainty, an inescapable necessity, decree
Example sentences
الْمَوْتُ حَتْم.
Death is inevitable.
هٰذَا الْأَمْرُ حَتْم عَلَيْنَا.
This matter is an obligation upon us.
نَجَاحُكَ حَتْم إِذَا اجْتَهَدْتَ.
Your success is certain if you work hard.
قَبِلَ الْهَزِيمَةَ كَأَنَّهَا حَتْم لَا مَفَرَّ مِنْهُ.
He accepted defeat as an inevitability there is no escaping.
يَرَى الْفَيْلَسُوفُ أَنَّ التَّغْيِيرَ حَتْم لَا يُمْكِنُ إِيقَافُهُ.
The philosopher holds that change is an inevitability that cannot be stopped.
بَيْنَ الْحُرِّيَّةِ وَالْحَتْمِ جَدَلٌ فَلْسَفِيٌّ قَدِيم.
Between freedom and inevitability lies an old philosophical debate.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | حَتْمٌ | حُتُومٌ |
| Genitive | حَتْمٍ | حُتُومٍ |
| Accusative | حَتْماً | حُتُوماً |
| Vocative | يَا حَتْمُ | يَا حُتُومُ |
Word family
حَتَمَto decree, make inevitable
حَتَّمَto impose, make obligatory
مَحْتُومdestined, foreordained
حَتْمِيّdeterministic, certain
حَتْمِيّةdeterminism, inevitability
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic root ح-ت-م (ḥ-t-m), which carries the sense of deciding a matter for good and making it binding. The base verb حَتَمَ means to decree or render unavoidable. From the same root Arabic builds مَحْتُوم (destined) and حَتْمِيّة (determinism).
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