Learn Arabic › B1 › عَيْب
عَيْب
flaw /ˈʕajb/
nounB1#2556 most common
Also: shame, disgrace, something improper
Example sentences
عَيْبٌ عَلَيْكَ!
Shame on you!
فِي السَّيَّارَةِ عَيْبٌ صَغِيرٌ.
There is a small defect in the car.
لا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَتَحَدَّثَ عَنْ عُيُوبِ النَّاسِ.
I don't like to talk about people's faults.
كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ لَهُ عُيُوبٌ وَمَزَايَا.
Every person has flaws and merits.
يَجِبُ أَنْ نَتَقَبَّلَ عُيُوبَ أَنْفُسِنَا قَبْلَ أَنْ نَنْتَقِدَ عُيُوبَ الآخَرِينَ.
We must accept our own flaws before we criticize the flaws of others.
لَيْسَ مِنَ العَيْبِ أَنْ يُخْطِئَ المَرْءُ، بَلِ العَيْبُ أَنْ يُصِرَّ عَلَى خَطَئِهِ.
It is not shameful for a person to err, but it is shameful to persist in the error.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | عَيْبٌ | عُيُوبٌ |
| Genitive | عَيْبٍ | عُيُوبٍ |
| Accusative | عَيْبًا | عُيُوبًا |
| Vocative | يَا عَيْبُ | يَا عُيُوبُ |
Word family
عَابَto be defective; to find fault with
عَيَّبَto criticize, to point out someone's fault
مَعِيبdefective, shameful
عُيُوبflaws, faults (plural)
عَيَّابa person who habitually finds fault
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic triliteral root ʿ-y-b, which centers on the idea of a fault, blemish, or defect that mars something otherwise sound. From this root Arabic built both a noun for the flaw itself and a verb meaning to find fault with someone. Over time the noun took on a strong social dimension in everyday speech, marking not just physical defects but breaches of propriety and honor. Arabic is a Semitic language, not an Indo-European one, so it has no Proto-Indo-European root.
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