Learn Arabic › B2 › حُثالَة
حُثالَة
scum (of society) /ħuˈθaː.la/
nounB2#3078 most common
Also: dregs, riffraff, rabble
Example sentences
هو حثالة.
He is scum.
لا تصادق حثالة الناس.
Don't befriend riffraff.
طردت الشرطة حثالة المجرمين من الحي.
The police drove the scum of criminals out of the neighborhood.
يعتبره الجميع حثالة المجتمع بسبب أفعاله.
Everyone considers him the dregs of society because of what he has done.
تجمعت حثالة من المشجعين وأشعلوا الشغب بعد المباراة.
A rabble of fans gathered and set off rioting after the match.
رغم أنه نشأ بين حثالة المجتمع، استطاع أن يتجاوز واقعه ويصبح رجل أعمال ناجحًا.
Although he grew up among the dregs of society, he managed to rise above his circumstances and become a successful businessman.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | حُثالةٌ | حُثالاتٌ |
| Genitive | حُثالةٍ | حُثالاتٍ |
| Accusative | حُثالةً | حُثالاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا حُثالةُ | يا حُثالاتُ |
Word family
حُثالةscum, dregs (of people)
حَثِلwretched, in a miserable state
حَثَلwretchedness, misery
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic root ح-ث-ل, tied to the idea of a wretched, worthless remainder. Arabic built it on the pattern فُعالة, which regularly names the leftover part of something once the useful part is taken away, as in نُخالة (bran left after sifting) or قُلامة (nail clippings). حثالة originally meant the sediment left at the bottom of oil or wine, and speakers extended it to the worthless remnants of a group of people.
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