Learn Arabic › A2 › شَمال
شَمال
north /ʃaˈmaːl/
nounA2#1185 most common
Also: left, left side, north wind
Example sentences
الشَّمالُ بارِدٌ.
The north is cold.
نَسكُنُ في شَمالِ المَدينة.
We live in the north of the city.
تَهُبُّ رِياحُ الشَّمالِ في الشِّتاء.
The north winds blow in winter.
سافَرَ التُّجّارُ إلى الشَّمالِ لِبَيعِ بَضائِعِهِم.
The merchants traveled to the north to sell their goods.
كانَ الشَّمالُ في الماضي مَنطِقةً زِراعيّةً غَنيّةً قَبلَ أن يَتَغَيَّرَ مُناخُها.
In the past the north was a rich farming region before its climate changed.
يَرى المُؤَرِّخونَ أنَّ صِراعَ الشَّمالِ والجَنوبِ شَكَّلَ مَلامِحَ الدَّولةِ الحَديثة.
Historians hold that the conflict between the north and the south shaped the features of the modern state.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | شَمالٌ | شَمائِلُ |
| Genitive | شَمالٍ | شَمائِلَ |
| Accusative | شَمالاً | شَمائِلَ |
| Vocative | يا شَمالُ | يا شَمائِلُ |
Word family
Etymology
شَمال comes from a common Semitic word meaning 'left hand.' When a person faces the sunrise in the east, the north lies to the left, so the same word came to mean 'north.' This link between 'left' and 'north' runs across the Semitic family.
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