Learn Arabic › B2 › كَرَى
كَرَى
to dig, excavate (a well or canal) /kaˈraː/
verbB2#3741 most common
Also: to hollow out, to sink (a well)
Example sentences
كَرَى أَبِي بِئْرًا صَغِيرَةً بِجانِبِ البَيْتِ.
My father dug a small well beside the house.
كَرَى العُمَّالُ قَناةً لِنَقْلِ الماءِ إلى الحَقْلِ.
The workers dug a canal to carry water to the field.
يَكْرِي الفَلَّاحُونَ قَنَواتٍ صَغيرةً كُلَّ عامٍ لِتَصريفِ مياهِ الأمطارِ.
Farmers dig small channels every year to drain the rainwater.
كَرَتْ يَدَاهُ التُّرابَ بِبُطءٍ حتى وَصَلَ إلى طَبَقةٍ رَطْبةٍ.
His hands slowly dug into the soil until he reached a damp layer.
لَمْ يَكْرِ العامِلُ القَناةَ بِالعُمْقِ المَطلوبِ، فَفاضَ الماءُ عَلى الطَّريقِ.
The worker did not dig the canal to the required depth, so the water overflowed onto the road.
كَرَى القُدَماءُ قَنَواتٍ تَحتَ الأرضِ لِنَقْلِ المياهِ مَسافاتٍ طَويلةً، وهي التِّقنِيّةُ المَعروفةُ اليومَ بِالقَنَواتِ الجَوفِيّةِ.
The ancients dug underground channels to carry water over long distances, the technique known today as qanats.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَكْرِي | كَرَيْتُ | سَأَكْرِي |
| 2sg | تَكْرِي | كَرَيْتَ | سَتَكْرِي |
| 3sg | يَكْرِي | كَرَى | سَيَكْرِي |
| 1pl | نَكْرِي | كَرَيْنَا | سَنَكْرِي |
| 2pl | تَكْرُونَ | كَرَيْتُمْ | سَتَكْرُونَ |
| 3pl | يَكْرُونَ | كَرَوْا | سَيَكْرُونَ |
Word family
كِرَاءrent, lease, fare
أَكْرَىto lease out, rent out (form IV)
اِكْتَرَىto rent, hire (form VIII)
مُكْرٍlessor, one who rents out
Etymology
The verb comes from the triliteral Semitic root k-r-y, whose core sense is to hollow the ground out with tools. Classical Arabic dictionaries list it as a distinct entry meaning to dig a well or watercourse, separate from the unrelated noun karā meaning drowsiness, which happens to be spelled the same way. The related noun kirāʾ, meaning rent or fare, developed later from the same root, likely through the image of paying someone to labor at digging or clearing land.
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