Word of the Day

Word of the Day

ʻAyn

عَيْن

 

Are you ready to learn another useful word in Arabic? Today’s word is عَيْن /’Ayn/ which essentially refers to the human eye, but like other words in Arabic that showcase the richness of the culture and the language, this word has many different meanings and is used in a variety of contexts.

In this blog, we will look at the main meanings of the word, its root, collocations, and synonyms. What’s more, we will have examples that will make it easy to see how the word is correctly used.

So, are you ready?

Let’s start with the main meaning.

Main Meaning

Body organ responsible for sight

The common meaning of this word is the human eye. This word has a singular form, a double form, and a plural one:

singular

ʻAyn

عَيْن

double/two

ʻAynān

عَيْنَان

plural

ʻUyūn

عُيُون


Examples

His eye is brown

ʻYnuhu bunyaah

عينُهُ بُنيَّة

My eye hurts

Ashʻuru biʼlamin fī ʻayny

أَشعُرُ بِألَمٍ في عَيني

A fountain or a place where water comes out of the ground

The second common use for the word عَيْن /’Ayn/ is to refer to a water fountain. The word can come with or without the word water “ماء” /Maa’/ next to it. Check the following examples:

There is a water spring in the white desert

Hunāka ʻaynu māʼin fī aalṣṣaḥrāʼi aalbayḍāʼi

هُنَاكَ عَيْنُ مَاءٍ فِي اَلصَّحْرَاءِ اَلْبَيْضَاءِ

In them (both) will be two springs flowing.” Surat Al-Rahman: 150

Fīhimā ʻaynāni tajriyaāni

فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ – الرحمن: 150

It refers to something that is “the same” as something else

Another meaning associated with today’s word of the day is “the same”. It stresses the object of the sentence and that it is the same as another object. Take the following example:

We bought the same thing.

Ishtaraynā aalshsháʼa ʻaynahu

اِشْتَرَيْنَا اَلشَّىْءَ عَيْنَهُ

Envy

This use of the word عَيْن /’Ayn/ carries a cultural implication and signals the belief in Islam in the bad effects of envy.

Since this negative emotion is usually the result of looking at somebody else’s possessions or “eyeing” them, it became the standard word for causing harm to someone due to harboring envy in people. In English, there is a similar use, which is “the evil eye,” and it is seen as a curse that harms people as a result of envy. Look at the following example.

He is afraid of envy (the evil eye.)

Ykhāfu mina alʻayni

يخَافُ مِنَ العَيْنِ

Collocations

Now, we will look at word collocations for the word عَيْن /’Ayn/. In general, it is essential to learn different word collocations to make it easier to use the words in meaningful sentences, both in speaking and writing. For our word of the day, عَيْن /’Ayn/, we will have adjectives, prepositions, and nouns that usually come with the word and give it a different or more specific meaning.

He has a penetrating eye

Lahu ʻaynun nāfidhatun

لَهُ عَيْنٌ نَافِذَةٌ

 

This collocation is used to describe someone who is good at making correct judgments of people or situations.

You are in my eyes

Anta ʻalá ʻaynī

أَنْتَ على عَيْنِي

 

This is an endearing expression used among friends or with close relatives whis means I will honor you and keep you safe.

He fell from his eye

Saqaṭa min ʻaynihi

سَقَطَ مِنْ عَيْنِهِ

To fall from someone’s eye is to lose his or her respect.

The apply of his eye

Qurrat ʻaynuhu

قُرَّتْ عَيْنُهُ

 

Similar to the English expression, this Arabic collocation means to feel happy and content when looking at someone you love. And it is usually used to talk about one’s children, husband, wife, etc.

Blink of an eye

Ṭarfatu ʻaynin

طَرْفَةُ عَيْنٍ

 

This collocation is used when you want to highlight the speed with which you did or will do something.

Root

Many words can be derived from the root of the word /ʻAyn/  عَيْن. In the following some of the common derivations from this word:

Assignment

Tʻayyn

تعَيين

Inspection

Muʻāyanah

مُعايَنَة

Seeking help

Estiʻānah

اسْتِعَانَة

Sample

ʻAyyinah

عَيِّنَة

Synonyms

The word /ʻAyn/  عَيْن, which means “the same thing,” is synonymous in the Arabic language with words like: نفس  /Nafs / and ذات /Dhāt/ meaning “same.”

I bought the same book.

Ishtarytu alkitāba ʻynahu

اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ عينَه

I bought the same book.

Ishtarytu alkitāba dhātah

اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ ذاتَه

I bought the same book.

Ishtarytu alkitāba nafsah

اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ نَفسَه

Conclusion

We hope you found today’s word useful. Make sure to use it as frequently as you can in your everyday conversations and to use the variety of expressions you learned in our blog. You can also find other words to learn by visiting the Word of the Day page.

Now before we conclude our blog, we would like to remind you to check our special Planner that you can use to speed up your learning journey. This planner offers a rich 30-page worksheet accompanied by over 200 practical exercises and activities. It will serve as a powerful tool to back your acquired knowledge and newly learned language and push your learning journey forward with tons of practice opportunities.

 

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