Learn ArabicB1 › مَزْحَة

مَزْحَة

joke /ˈmaz.ħa/

nounB1#1758 most common

Also: jest, a single instance of joking, prank

Example sentences

هَذِهِ مَزْحَة.
This is a joke.
قَالَ لِي مَزْحَة جَمِيلَة.
He told me a nice joke.
لَا تَقْلَقْ، كَانَتْ مُجَرَّدَ مَزْحَة.
Don't worry, it was just a joke.
لَمْ تُعْجِبْنِي مَزْحَتُهُ السَّخِيفَة أَمَامَ الضُّيُوف.
I didn't like his silly joke in front of the guests.
تَحَوَّلَتِ المَزْحَة إِلَى مُشْكِلَة حِينَ أَخَذَهَا عَلَى مَحْمَلِ الجِدّ.
The joke turned into a problem when he took it seriously.
رُبَّ مَزْحَةٍ عَابِرَةٍ تَكْشِفُ عَنْ ضَغِينَةٍ دَفِينَةٍ لَا يُفْصِحُ عَنْهَا صَاحِبُهَا.
Many a passing joke reveals a buried grudge that its owner will not openly admit.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeمَزْحَةٌمَزَحَاتٌ
Genitiveمَزْحَةٍمَزَحَاتٍ
Accusativeمَزْحَةًمَزَحَاتٍ
Vocativeيَا مَزْحَةُيَا مَزَحَاتُ

Word family

مَزَحَto joke, to jest
مِزَاحjoking, jesting
مَازِحjoking, in jest
مُمَازَحَةbanter, joking with someone

Etymology

The word comes from the Arabic triliteral root م-ز-ح (m-z-ḥ), which carries the sense of joking and jesting. مَزْحَة is the noun of instance built on the pattern فَعْلَة, so it names a single act of joking, one joke. The same root yields the verb مَزَحَ and the verbal noun مِزَاح.

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

More Arabic words

فِقْدانlossلَجْنَةcommitteeوِلادَةbirthشُعاعrayخَزّانtankمَشاعِرfeelingsمَطافthe place of circumambulation around the Kaabaحِفاظpreservation