Learn ArabicA2 › ضابِط

ضابِط

officer (military or police) /ˈdˤaːbɪtˤ/

nounA2#823 most common

Also: controller, regulator, governing rule, criterion (in grammar, law, or science), police officer

Example sentences

هٰذا ضابِط.
This is an officer.
أبي ضابِط في الجَيش.
My father is an officer in the army.
تَحَدَّثْتُ مع الضّابِط عند البَوّابة.
I spoke with the officer at the gate.
رُقِّيَ الضّابِط إلى رُتبة رائِد بعد عَشر سَنوات من الخِدمة.
The officer was promoted to the rank of major after ten years of service.
طَلَبَ مِنّي الضّابِط أن أُبرِزَ هُوِيَّتي قبل دُخول المَبنى.
The officer asked me to show my ID before entering the building.
ما إن أصدَرَ الضّابِط أوامِرَه بِحَزمٍ حتّى التَزَمَ الجُنودُ بها دونَ تَردُّد.
No sooner had the officer firmly issued his orders than the soldiers obeyed them without hesitation.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeضابِطٌضُبّاطٌ
Genitiveضابِطٍضُبّاطٍ
Accusativeضابِطاًضُبّاطاً
Vocativeيا ضابِطُيا ضُبّاطُ

Word family

ضَبَطَto control, seize, regulate, set precisely
ضَبْطcontrol, regulation, precision
انْضِباطdiscipline
مَضْبوطexact, accurate, correct
ضابِطةfemale officer; a controlling rule

Etymology

ضابِط is the active participle of the verb ضَبَطَ, to seize, hold firm, and regulate. So it literally names the one who keeps things under control. The military and police sense, the officer, grew from this idea of a person who maintains order. The same root also yields ضَبْط, control or precision, and انْضِباط, discipline.

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