Arabic Word of the Day: عَيْن /ʻAyn/
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
1. 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:
/ʻAyn/ عَيْن = singular
/ʻAynān/ عَيْنَان = double/two
/ʻUyūn/ عُيُون = plural
Example 1
عينُهُ بُنيَّة – His eye is brown
/ʻYnuhu bunyaah/
Example 2
أَشعُرُ بِألَمٍ في عَيني – My eye hurts
/Ashʻuru biʼlamin fī ʻayny/
2. 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:
Example 1
هُنَاكَ عَيْنُ مَاءٍ فِي اَلصَّحْرَاءِ اَلْبَيْضَاءِ – There is a water spring in the white desert
/Hunāka ʻaynu māʼin fī aalṣṣaḥrāʼi aalbayḍāʼi/
Example 2
فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ – الرحمن: 150 – “In them (both) will be two springs flowing.” Surat Al-Rahman: 150
/Fīhimā ʻaynāni tajriyaāni/
3. 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:
Example
اِشْتَرَيْنَا اَلشَّىْءَ عَيْنَهُ – We bought the same thing.
/Ishtaraynā aalshsháʼa ʻaynahu/
4. 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.
Example
يخَافُ مِنَ العَيْنِ – He is afraid of envy (the evil eye.)
/Ykhāfu mina alʻayni/
Word Collocation
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.
1. لَهُ عَيْنٌ نَافِذَةٌ – He has a penetrating eye
/Lahu ʻaynun nāfidhatun/
This collocation is used to describe someone who is good at making correct judgments of people or situations.
2. أَنْتَ على عَيْنِي – You are in my eyes
/Anta ʻalá ʻaynī/
This is an endearing expression used among friends or with close relatives whis means I will honor you and keep you safe.
3. سَقَطَ مِنْ عَيْنِهِ – He fell from his eye
/Saqaṭa min ʻaynihi/
To fall from someone’s eye is to lose his or her respect.
4. قُرَّتْ عَيْنُهُ – The apply of his eye
/Qurrat ʻaynuhu/
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.
5. طَرْفَةُ عَيْنٍ – Blink of an eye
/Ṭarfatu ʻaynin/
This collocation is used when you want to highlight the speed with which you did or will do something.
Word 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:
| 1. تعَيين | /Tʻayyn/ | Assignment |
| 2. مُعايَنَة | /Muʻāyanah/ | Inspection |
| 3. اسْتِعَانَة | /Estiʻānah / | Seeking help |
| 4. عَيِّنَة | /ʻAyyinah / | Sample |
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.”
- اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ عينَه – I bought the same book. /Ishtarytu alkitāba ʻynahu/
- اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ ذاتَه – I bought the same book. /Ishtarytu alkitāba dhātah/
- اِشتَريتُ الكِتابَ نَفسَه – I bought the same book. /Ishtarytu alkitāba nafsah/
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.
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.
Finally, it is your turn! Share with us example sentences using the word /ʻAyn/ عَيْن.
Do you have suggestions for new vocabulary to discuss in our next Word of the Day?
We can’t wait to read your comments below! See you in the next word. Bye!
