Learn Arabic › B1 › مَطاف
مَطاف
the place of circumambulation around the Kaaba /maˈtˤaːf/
nounB1#1759 most common
Also: the end of the road (in the idiom نهاية المطاف), course or path of events
Example sentences
المَطافُ واسِعٌ.
The circumambulation area is wide.
يَطوفُ الحُجّاجُ في المَطافِ.
The pilgrims circle in the mataf.
في نِهايةِ المَطاف، قَرَّرَ أن يَعودَ إلى بَيتِه.
In the end, he decided to go back to his house.
امتَلَأَ المَطافُ بالحُجّاجِ حَولَ الكَعبةِ.
The mataf filled with pilgrims around the Kaaba.
بَعدَ سَنَواتٍ مِنَ الجُهدِ، وَصَلَ بِنا المَطافُ إلى طَريقٍ مَسدودٍ.
After years of effort, we ended up at a dead end.
آخِرُ المَطافِ في هٰذِهِ القَضِيّةِ لم يَكُن كَما تَوَقَّعَ أحَدٌ مِنَ الأطرافِ.
The final outcome of this case was not what any of the parties expected.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | مَطافٌ | مَطافاتٌ |
| Genitive | مَطافٍ | مَطافاتٍ |
| Accusative | مَطافًا | مَطافاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا مَطافُ | يا مَطافاتُ |
Word family
طافَto go around, circle
طَوافcircumambulation of the Kaaba
طائِفone who walks around; patrol
مُطَوِّفguide who leads pilgrims in the tawaf
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic root ط-و-ف (ṭ-w-f), meaning to go around or circle. The prefix م- forms a noun of place, so مَطاف is the place where circling happens. Its primary religious sense is the open area around the Kaaba where pilgrims perform the tawaf.
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