Learn Arabic › B2 › وَراءَ
وَراءَ
behind /waˈraːʔa/
particleB2#4326 most common
Also: beyond, underlying (a hidden cause)
Example sentences
القِطُّ وراءَ البابِ.
The cat is behind the door.
اِختَبَأَ الوَلَدُ وراءَ الشَّجَرَةِ.
The boy hid behind the tree.
سارَتِ السَّيّارَةُ وراءَ الحافِلَةِ ببُطءٍ.
The car drove slowly behind the bus.
مِن وَرائِهِ أتَتِ المُفاجَأةُ الكَبيرَةُ.
The big surprise came from behind him.
هُناكَ سَبَبٌ خَفِيٌّ وراءَ قَرارِهِ المُفاجِئِ بالاستِقالَةِ.
There is a hidden reason behind his sudden decision to resign.
يَسعى الباحِثونَ جاهِدينَ إلى كَشفِ الحَقيقَةِ الكامِنَةِ وراءَ هذِهِ الظّاهِرَةِ الطَّبيعِيَّةِ المُعَقَّدَةِ.
The researchers are working hard to uncover the truth lying behind this complex natural phenomenon.
Word family
إلى الوراءbackwards
من وراءfrom behind
وارىto hide, conceal
توارىto disappear, hide oneself
وراءهbehind him
Etymology
Waraa'a is a classical Arabic locative noun built on the triliteral root w-r-y, whose core sense concerns being concealed or out of sight. Classical dictionaries link waraa'a directly to the verb waara, meaning to hide or conceal, on the idea that whatever stands behind a person is hidden from that person's view. The root's final consonant, y, surfaces as a hamza in this word because of the mamdud noun pattern it follows, the same shift seen in words like samaa' (sky) from the root s-m-w. As a Semitic word, it has no Proto-Indo-European origin or cognates.
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