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.
