Learn Arabic › A2 › حِوال
حِوال
barrier (something that comes between two things) /ħiˈwaːl/
nounA2#873 most common
Also: partition, separating obstacle, the intervening space between two things, vicissitude (in the phrase حِوال الدهر)
Example sentences
البحرُ حِوالٌ بين القارتين.
The sea is a barrier between the two continents.
لا أرى حِوالاً يمنعنا من اللقاء.
I see no barrier that stops us from meeting.
وقف الجبلُ حِوالاً بين القريتين.
The mountain stood as a barrier between the two villages.
كان النهرُ حِوالاً طبيعياً يفصل المملكتين.
The river was a natural barrier that separated the two kingdoms.
حِوالُ الدهرِ يفرّقُ بين الأحبّة ولا يبقي شيئاً على حاله.
The turns of fate separate loved ones and leave nothing as it was.
ما من حِوالٍ يصمدُ أمام إرادةٍ صادقةٍ في الوصال.
No barrier holds out against a sincere will to reunite.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | حِوالٌ (ḥiwālun) | None |
| Genitive | حِوالٍ (ḥiwālin) | None |
| Accusative | حِوالاً (ḥiwālan) | None |
| Vocative | يا حِوالُ (yā ḥiwālu) | None |
Word family
حالَ (ḥāla)to come between; to change
حائِل (ḥāʾil)barrier, screen
حَيْلولة (ḥaylūla)prevention, interposition
حَوْل (ḥawl)around; power; year
تَحويل (taḥwīl)transformation, transfer
Etymology
The word comes from the triliteral root ح-و-ل (ḥ-w-l), whose core sense is to turn, to change, and to come between. A حِوال is the thing that comes between two things, so it names a barrier or partition. The same root gives حال (state), حَوْل (around; power; year), and تَحويل (transfer).
Learn Arabic the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free