Learn Arabic › B2 › قَسْوَة
قَسْوَة
harshness /ˈqas.wa/
nounB2#3466 most common
Also: cruelty, severity, hardness (of heart)
Example sentences
قسوة الشتاء كبيرة.
The harshness of winter is great.
لا أحب قسوة والدي.
I don't like my father's harshness.
عانت الفتاة من قسوة زوجها.
The girl suffered from her husband's cruelty.
تركت قسوة الحياة أثرا عميقا في شخصيته.
Life's harshness left a deep mark on his personality.
على الرغم من قسوة الظروف، لم يفقد الأمل.
Despite the harshness of the circumstances, he did not lose hope.
تتجلى قسوة القلب في تجاهله لمعاناة الآخرين دون أدنى شعور بالذنب.
Hardness of heart shows in his disregard for others' suffering, without the slightest guilt.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | قَسْوَةٌ | قَسَوَاتٌ |
| Genitive | قَسْوَةٍ | قَسَوَاتٍ |
| Accusative | قَسْوَةً | قَسَوَاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا قَسْوَةُ | يا قَسَوَاتُ |
Word family
قاسٍharsh, cruel
قساto be or become harsh
أقسىharsher, more cruel (comparative)
قسّىto harden something, to make callous
Etymology
Qaswa is the masdar, or verbal noun, of the verb qasā, meaning to become hard or harsh. Both come from the Semitic root q-s-w, which centers on hardness and resistance to feeling or pressure. Classical Arabic dictionaries link the root to physical hardness first, then extend it to a hard, unfeeling heart. The word is native Semitic vocabulary, not a borrowing.
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