Learn Arabic › B2 › مَخافَة
مَخافَة
fear /maˈxaː.fah/
nounB2#3332 most common
Also: dread, for fear of (in the adverbial phrase مخافةَ)
Example sentences
عِنْدَها مَخافةٌ مِنَ الظَّلامِ.
She has a fear of the dark.
لا تَعِشْ في مَخافةٍ مِن المُستَقبَل.
Do not live in fear of the future.
هَرَبَ الوَلَدُ مَخافةَ العِقابِ.
The boy ran away for fear of punishment.
أَخْفى الحَقيقةَ مَخافةَ أن يَغْضَبَ والِداه.
He hid the truth for fear that his parents would get angry.
لا تَمْنَعْكَ مَخافةُ الفَشَلِ مِن المُحاوَلةِ.
Do not let fear of failure stop you from trying.
وَمَخافةُ اللهِ رَأْسُ الحِكْمةِ، كَما جاءَ في الأَثَرِ.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, as the old saying goes.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | مَخافَةٌ | مَخاوِفُ |
| Genitive | مَخافَةٍ | مَخاوِفَ |
| Accusative | مَخافَةً | مَخاوِفَ |
| Vocative | يا مَخافَةُ | يا مَخاوِفُ |
Word family
خَوْفfear (the common, everyday word)
خافَto fear, to be afraid
خائِفafraid, fearfulمُخيفfrightening, scary
تَخْويفintimidation, scaring
Etymology
مَخافَة comes from the Arabic root kh-w-f, the same root behind the common word خَوْف (fear) and the verb خافَ (he feared). The م- prefix and the -ة ending turn the root into an abstract noun, giving a more formal, literary word for the same idea. It appears often in classical and religious Arabic, including in fixed phrases meaning 'for fear that' or 'lest'.
Learn Arabic the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free