Learn Arabic › B2 › خُرافَة
خُرافَة
myth, fable, superstition /xʊˈraː.fa/
nounB2#4093 most common
Also: old wives' tale, fairy tale, fabrication
Example sentences
هَذِهِ خُرافَةٌ قَدِيمَةٌ.
This is an old myth.
يُحِبُّ الأَطْفالُ سَماعَ الخُرافاتِ قَبْلَ النَّوْمِ.
Children like listening to fables before bedtime.
كَثيرٌ مِنَ النّاسِ يُصَدِّقونَ هذِهِ الخُرافَةَ دونَ دَليلٍ.
Many people believe this myth without evidence.
تَناقَلَتِ الأَجْيالُ هذِهِ الخُرافَةَ عَبْرَ القُرونِ حَتّى أَصْبَحَتْ جُزْءًا مِنَ الثَّقافَةِ الشَّعْبِيَّةِ.
Generations passed this myth down across centuries until it became part of popular culture.
يَسْعى العُلَماءُ إلى دَحْضِ الخُرافاتِ الطِّبِّيَّةِ الَّتي تَنْتَشِرُ عَلى وَسائِلِ التَّواصُلِ الاجْتِماعِيِّ.
Scientists work to debunk the medical myths that spread on social media.
لا يَزالُ اعْتِقادُ النّاسِ بِأَنَّ كَسْرَ المِرْآةِ يَجْلِبُ سَبْعَ سَنَواتٍ مِنَ سوءِ الحَظِّ خُرافَةً مُتَجَذِّرَةً في مُخَيِّلَتِنا الجَمْعِيَّةِ رَغْمَ افْتِقارِها إلى أَيِّ أَساسٍ عِلْمِيٍّ.
The belief that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck remains a myth deeply rooted in our collective imagination, despite having no scientific basis.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | خُرافَةٌ | خُرافاتٌ |
| Genitive | خُرافَةٍ | خُرافاتٍ |
| Accusative | خُرافَةً | خُرافاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا خُرافَةُ | يا خُرافاتُ |
Word family
خُرافاتmyths, superstitions (plural)
خُرافِيّmythical, fabulous, legendary
خَرَفsenility, dotage
خَريفautumn
Etymology
Classical Arab philologists traced خُرافَة to Khurafa, a man of the Banu Udhra said to have been captured by jinn and returned with fantastic, unverifiable tales. The Arabic phrase "hadith Khurafa" (the tale of Khurafa) became a byword for an incredible story, and the noun later generalized to mean any fable or superstition. The same root, kh-r-f, also gives words for senility and for autumn, though philologists debate whether those senses are directly linked to the "tall tale" meaning.
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