Learn Arabic › B1 › مَتْن
مَتْن
text (the main body of a written work) /matn/
nounB1#1531 most common
Also: main body of a text, back (of a horse or animal), hard, raised ground
Example sentences
هٰذَا مَتْنٌ قَصِيرٌ.
This is a short text.
قَرَأْتُ مَتْنَ الْكِتَابِ.
I read the body of the book.
الْمَتْنُ صَعْبٌ وَلٰكِنَّ الشَّرْحَ سَهْلٌ.
The main text is hard, but the commentary is easy.
يَدْرُسُ الطُّلَّابُ الْمَتْنَ قَبْلَ قِرَاءَةِ الْحَاشِيَةِ.
The students study the main text before reading the marginal notes.
حَفِظَ الشَّيْخُ مُتُونَ الْفِقْهِ فِي صِغَرِهِ.
The sheikh memorized the core legal texts in his youth.
نَقَّحَ الْمُحَقِّقُ مَتْنَ الْمَخْطُوطَةِ وَقَابَلَهُ بِنُسَخٍ أُخْرَى.
The editor revised the text of the manuscript and compared it with other copies.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | مَتْنٌ | مُتُونٌ |
| Genitive | مَتْنٍ | مُتُونٍ |
| Accusative | مَتْنًا | مُتُونًا |
| Vocative | يَا مَتْنُ | يَا مُتُونُ |
Word family
مَتِينstrong, solid, robust
مَتَانَةfirmness, durability
مَتَّنَto strengthen, to make firm
مُتُونcore texts (plural of matn)
Etymology
The root م-ت-ن carries the sense of firmness and a hard, raised surface. From this came the meaning of an animal's back, the strongest part of the body. The word later shifted to mean the firm core of a written work, the main text that stands apart from later commentary.
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