Learn Arabic › B2 › سِواك
سِواك
tooth-cleaning twig (miswak) /siˈwaːk/
nounB2#3135 most common
Also: chewing stick, miswak
Example sentences
هَذَا سِواكٌ.
This is a miswak.
أَسْتَخْدِمُ السِّواكَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ.
I use the miswak every day.
يُنَظِّفُ أَبِي أَسْنانَهُ بِالسِّواكِ بَعْدَ الطَّعامِ.
My father cleans his teeth with the miswak after eating.
يُفَضِّلُ كَثيرٌ مِنَ المُسْلِمينَ اسْتِخْدامَ السِّواكِ عَلَى الفُرْشاةِ التَّقْليدِيَّةِ.
Many Muslims prefer using the miswak over the traditional toothbrush.
أَوْصَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِاسْتِعْمالِ السِّواكِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ وُضوءٍ.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, recommended using the miswak at every ablution.
تُشيرُ الدِّراساتُ الحَديثَةُ إِلى أَنَّ خَشَبَ شَجَرَةِ الأَراكِ المُسْتَخْدَمَ في صِناعَةِ السِّواكِ يَحْتَوي عَلى مَوادَّ مُطَهِّرَةٍ تُقاوِمُ البَكْتيريا.
Recent studies indicate that the wood of the arak tree used in making the miswak contains antiseptic substances that resist bacteria.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | سِواكٌ | أَسْوِكَةٌ |
| Genitive | سِواكٍ | أَسْوِكَةٍ |
| Accusative | سِواكاً | أَسْوِكَةً |
| Vocative | يا سِواكُ | يا أَسْوِكَةُ |
Word family
سَاكَ / يَسُوكُto clean teeth with a miswak
مِسْواكtooth-stick (alternate, very common synonym)
تَسَوُّكthe act of brushing teeth with a miswak
أَسْوِكَةtooth-sticks (plural)
Etymology
The word comes from the Arabic root س-و-ك, tied to the verb سَاكَ, meaning to rub or clean the teeth with a twig. سِواك is built on the فِعال (CiCāC) pattern, which Arabic often uses for the tool that performs an action, so the noun names the twig itself. Arabic is a Semitic language, so this word has no Indo-European ancestor.
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