Learn Arabic › B2 › سِماك
سِماك
supporting pole, prop /siˈmaːk/
nounB2#3172 most common
Also: tent pole, the star Arcturus or Spica (السماك), pillar, mainstay (figurative)
Example sentences
هذا سِماك قديم.
This is an old prop.
تقوم الخيمة على سِماك خشبي.
The tent stands on a wooden pole.
انكسر سِماك الخيمة فسقط القماش.
The tent's pole broke, so the fabric fell.
يُعرف السماك الأعزل بأنه ألمع نجم في كوكبة العذراء.
Al-Simak al-A'zal, known as Spica, is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
كان الشيخ سِماك قومه في أوقات الشدة.
The sheikh was the pillar of his people in hard times.
وصف الشاعر المجد بأنه سِماك يرفع صرح الأمجاد ولا ينحني.
The poet described glory as a supporting pole that raises the edifice of honor and does not bend.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | سِماكٌ | سُمُكٌ |
| Genitive | سِماكٍ | سُمُكٍ |
| Accusative | سِماكاً | سُمُكاً |
| Vocative | يا سِماكُ | يا سُمُكُ |
Word family
سَمَكَto be high, to rise up (classical)
سَمْكheight, ceiling
سَمَاكَةthickness, density
سَمِيكthick, dense
Etymology
The word comes from the Arabic root s-m-k, which carries the sense of height and elevation, and by extension, something that holds another thing up high. A simāk was originally the central pole that raises and supports a tent's roof. Arabic astronomers later borrowed the same word for two bright stars, al-Simāk al-Rāmiḥ (Arcturus) and al-Simāk al-A'zal (Spica), because of their high position in the sky.
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