Learn Arabic › B2 › حَلِيف
حَلِيف
ally /ħaˈliːf/
nounB2#3590 most common
Also: confederate, covenant partner
Example sentences
هُوَ حَلِيفِي.
He is my ally.
أَمْرِيكَا حَلِيفٌ قَدِيمٌ لِبَرِيطَانِيَا.
America is an old ally of Britain.
أَصْبَحَتِ الدَّوْلَتَانِ حَلِيفَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْحَرْبِ.
The two countries became allies after the war.
يَبْحَثُ الرَّئِيسُ عَنْ حُلَفَاءَ جُدُدٍ فِي الْمِنْطَقَةِ.
The president is looking for new allies in the region.
وَقَّعَتِ الْحُكُومَةُ اتِّفَاقِيَّةً مَعَ حَلِيفِهَا الاِسْتِرَاتِيجِيِّ لِتَعْزِيزِ التَّعَاوُنِ الْعَسْكَرِيِّ.
The government signed an agreement with its strategic ally to strengthen military cooperation.
عَلَى الرَّغْمِ مِنَ الْخِلَافَاتِ التَّارِيخِيَّةِ، ظَلَّتِ الْقَبِيلَتَانِ حَلِيفَتَيْنِ وَفِيَّتَيْنِ فِي مُوَاجَهَةِ الْأَعْدَاءِ الْمُشْتَرَكِينَ.
Despite historical disputes, the two tribes remained loyal allies in facing common enemies.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | حَلِيفٌ | حُلَفَاءُ |
| Genitive | حَلِيفٍ | حُلَفَاءَ |
| Accusative | حَلِيفًا | حُلَفَاءَ |
| Vocative | يَا حَلِيفُ | يَا حُلَفَاءُ |
Word family
حَلَفَto swear an oath
حِلْفpact, alliance
تَحَالَفَto form an alliance with one another
تَحَالُفcoalition, alliance
مُحَالَفَةact of allying, alliance-making
Etymology
حَلِيف comes from the Arabic root ح ل ف, which centers on swearing an oath. The verb حَلَفَ means to swear, and the noun حِلْف names the pact sealed by that oath. حَلِيف is the person bound into that pact, an ally joined by a sworn agreement rather than by blood. Pre-Islamic Arabia relied heavily on this kind of oath-bound confederation to link tribes that were not related by kinship.
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