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واو
waw (the name of the Arabic letter و, the sound 'w') /ˈwaːw/
nounB1#1452 most common
Also: the conjunction 'and' (as a named grammatical element), the letter w, wow (colloquial, borrowed from English)
Example sentences
هٰذا حرفُ الواو.
This is the letter waw.
تبدأُ كلمةُ «وَردة» بحرفِ الواو.
The word 'warda' (rose) begins with the letter waw.
في كلمةِ «نور» واوٌ ساكنة.
In the word 'nur' there is a quiescent waw.
نكتبُ واواً واحدة في هٰذه الكلمة، لا اثنتين.
We write one waw in this word, not two.
واوُ العطفِ تربطُ بين الاسمين في الجملة.
The conjunctive waw links the two nouns in the sentence.
يُفرّقُ النحاةُ بين واوِ العطفِ وواوِ الحالِ وواوِ القَسَم.
Grammarians distinguish between the waw of conjunction, the waw of circumstance, and the waw of oath.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | واوٌ | واواتٌ |
| Genitive | واوٍ | واواتٍ |
| Accusative | واواً | واواتٍ |
| Vocative | يا واوُ | يا واواتُ |
Word family
وand (the conjunction written with this letter)
واو العطفthe conjunctive waw, meaning 'and'
واويّrelating to the letter waw; (grammar) a root containing و
واواتwaws (plural of واو)
Etymology
واو is the name of the sixth letter of the Arabic alphabet, the letter و. The name goes back to Proto-Semitic *waw, meaning 'hook' or 'peg,' and early forms of the letter pictured such a hook. The same Semitic source gave Hebrew vav. Through Phoenician it also passed into Greek, where it became the letters behind European F, U, V, W and Y.
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