Learn ArabicB2 › مَبْدَأ

مَبْدَأ

principle /ˈmabdaʔ/

nounB2#3191 most common

Also: starting point, origin, tenet

Example sentences

هَذَا مَبْدَأٌ مُهِمٌّ.
This is an important principle.
عِنْدِي مَبْدَأٌ فِي الحَيَاةِ.
I have a principle in life.
لَا أَتَنَازَلُ عَنْ مَبْدَئِي.
I don't give up my principle.
تَقُومُ الشَّرِكَةُ عَلَى مَبْدَأِ الشَّفَافِيَّةِ.
The company is built on the principle of transparency.
يُعَدُّ مَبْدَأُ الفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّلُطَاتِ أَسَاسًا لِلدِّيمُقْرَاطِيَّةِ.
The principle of separation of powers is considered a foundation of democracy.
لَا يُمْكِنُ التَّضْحِيَةُ بِالمَبَادِئِ الأَخْلَاقِيَّةِ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَكَاسِبَ آنِيَّةٍ.
Moral principles cannot be sacrificed for short-term gains.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeمَبْدَأٌمَبَادِئُ
Genitiveمَبْدَإٍمَبَادِئَ
Accusativeمَبْدَأًمَبَادِئَ
Vocativeيَا مَبْدَأُيَا مَبَادِئُ

Word family

بَدَأَto begin, start
بِدَايَةbeginning
مَبْدَئِيّfundamental, in principle
ابْتِدَائِيّelementary, primary
مُبْتَدِئbeginner

Etymology

Mabda' comes from the Arabic root ب-د-أ (b-d-ʔ), meaning to begin or start. It is a mafʿal-pattern noun, a form Arabic uses to name the place, time, or instance of an action. So mabda' literally denotes a point of beginning, a sense that extended over time to the abstract idea of a founding principle or basic tenet. Arabic is a Semitic language, so it has no Indo-European root.

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