Learn ArabicA1 › ضَوْء

ضَوْء

light /ˈdˤawʔ/

nounA1#668 most common

Also: illumination, glow, gleam

Example sentences

ضَوْءُ الشَّمْسِ قَوِيٌّ.
The sunlight is strong.
أَطْفِئْ ضَوْءَ الغُرْفَةِ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ.
Turn off the room light, please.
دَخَلَ ضَوْءُ القَمَرِ مِنَ النّافِذَةِ.
The moonlight came in through the window.
لا أَسْتَطيعُ القِراءَةَ في هٰذا الضَّوْءِ الخافِتِ.
I cannot read in this dim light.
يَنْتَقِلُ الضَّوْءُ أَسْرَعَ مِنَ الصَّوْتِ.
Light travels faster than sound.
في عَتْمَةِ الأَزْمَةِ، بَدا أَيُّ ضَوْءِ أَمَلٍ بَعيدًا.
In the darkness of the crisis, any light of hope seemed distant.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeضَوْءٌأَضْواءٌ
Genitiveضَوْءٍأَضْواءٍ
Accusativeضَوْءًاأَضْواءً
Vocativeيا ضَوْءُيا أَضْواءُ

Word family

ضاءَto shine
أَضاءَto illuminate
إِضاءَةlighting, illumination
مُضيءluminous, bright
أَضْواءlights (plural)

Etymology

The word comes from the Semitic triconsonantal root ḍ-w-ʔ, which carries the sense of shining and giving off light. It is tied to the verb ضاءَ, "to shine," and names the light itself. The plural is أَضْواء. There is no Indo-European root, since the word is Semitic.

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