Learn Arabic › A1 › مِفْتاح
مِفْتاح
key /mifˈtaːħ/
nounA1#587 most common
Also: switch (electrical, e.g. light switch), wrench, spanner, clef (music); legend or key of a map
Example sentences
أَيْنَ المِفْتاحُ؟
Where is the key?
فَقَدْتُ مِفْتاحَ البَيْتِ.
I lost the house key.
هَل رَأَيْتَ مِفْتاحَ السَّيّارَةِ؟
Have you seen the car key?
لا أَستَطيعُ فَتْحَ البابِ بِدونِ المِفْتاحِ الصَّحيحِ.
I cannot open the door without the right key.
الصَّبْرُ مِفْتاحُ الفَرَجِ.
Patience is the key to relief.
يَرى الكاتِبُ أنَّ التَّعليمَ هو مِفْتاحُ التَّقَدُّمِ الذي لا غِنى عَنهُ لأيِّ مُجتَمَعٍ.
The writer holds that education is the indispensable key to progress for any society.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | مِفْتاحٌ | مَفاتيحُ |
| Genitive | مِفْتاحٍ | مَفاتيحَ |
| Accusative | مِفْتاحاً | مَفاتيحَ |
| Vocative | يا مِفْتاحُ | يا مَفاتيحُ |
Word family
مَفاتيحkeys (plural)
فَتَحَto open
مِفْتاحِيّkey, pivotal (as in keyword)
فَتّاحةopener (bottle or can opener)
فاتِحopener, conqueror
Etymology
مِفْتاح comes from the Semitic root f-t-ḥ, meaning to open. Arabic forms instrument nouns with the mifʿāl pattern, so the word names the tool that opens, the key. The same root yields the verb fataḥa, to open, and the noun fatḥ, an opening or conquest.
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