Learn Arabic › B2 › لَئِيم
لَئِيم
mean, base, vile (a person of contemptible, ignoble character) /laˈʔiːm/
adjectiveB2#4189 most common
Also: ignoble, villainous, low-natured
Example sentences
هُوَ رَجُلٌ لَئِيمٌ.
He is a mean man.
لا تَكُنْ لَئِيمًا مَعَ إِخْوَتِكَ.
Don't be mean to your siblings.
صَدِيقَتِي وَصَفَتْ جَارَهَا بِأَنَّهُ لَئِيمٌ جِدًّا.
My friend described her neighbor as very mean.
هِيَ فَتَاةٌ لَئِيمَةٌ تُحِبُّ إِيذَاءَ زَمِيلاتِهَا فِي المَدْرَسَةِ.
She is a mean girl who likes to hurt her classmates at school.
الرَّجُلُ اللَّئِيمُ يَسْتَغِلُّ ضُعَفَاءَ النَّاسِ لِتَحْقِيقِ مَصَالِحِهِ الخَاصَّةِ.
The vile man exploits the weak to serve his own interests.
يُقَالُ إِنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ ضَرَرًا هُمُ اللِّئَامُ الَّذِينَ يَتَظَاهَرُونَ بِالوَفَاءِ بَيْنَمَا يُخَطِّطُونَ لِلْغَدْرِ.
It is said that the most harmful people are the base ones who feign loyalty while plotting betrayal.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | لَئِيمٌ | لِئَامٌ |
| Genitive | لَئِيمٍ | لِئَامٍ |
| Accusative | لَئِيمًا | لِئَامًا |
| Vocative | يَا لَئِيمُ | يَا لِئَامُ |
Word family
لُؤْمbaseness, meanness (the abstract trait)
لَؤُمَto be base, to be mean-natured
أَلْأَمmore base, meaner (comparative/elative form)
لِئَامmean, base (plural form)
Etymology
لَئِيم comes from the native Arabic root ل-أ-م (l-ʾ-m), whose verb لَؤُمَ means to be base or contemptible in character. The word takes the فَعِيل (faʿīl) pattern, a shape often used for fixed, inherent qualities, as in كَرِيم (generous) or عَظِيم (great). This is a Semitic root, not an Indo-European one, so no PIE ancestor applies.
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More Arabic words
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