Learn Arabic › B1 › صِفَة
صِفَة
quality /ˈsˤi.fa/
nounB1#1939 most common
Also: attribute, characteristic; trait, adjective (grammar); capacity, role
Example sentences
الصَّبْر صِفة جَميلة.
Patience is a beautiful quality.
الأمانة صِفة مُهِمّة في الإنسان.
Honesty is an important quality in a person.
في اللُّغة العَرَبِيّة، تَصِف الصِّفة الاسم.
In Arabic, the adjective describes the noun.
الكَرَم صِفة عُرِف بِها العَرَب قَديمًا.
Generosity is a quality the Arabs were known for in the past.
تَحَدَّثَ الوَزير بِصِفَته الرَّسْمِيّة.
The minister spoke in his official capacity.
لا يُمْكِن اخْتِزال إنْسان في صِفة واحِدة.
A person cannot be reduced to a single trait.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | صِفَةٌ | صِفاتٌ |
| Genitive | صِفَةٍ | صِفاتٍ |
| Accusative | صِفَةً | صِفاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا صِفَةُ | يا صِفاتُ |
Word family
وَصَفَto describe
وَصْفdescriptionواصِفdescriber
مَوْصوفdescribed thing, qualified noun
وَصْفةrecipe, prescription
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic root w-ṣ-f, which carries the sense of describing. From that root Arabic forms the verb waṣafa, to describe, and the noun ṣifa, a quality or the thing by which something is described. The initial wāw of the root drops out in this pattern.
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