مرجان

Arabic

مرجان

Etymology

From Classical Syriac ܡܪܰܓܳܢ (margān, “pearl-like”), from ܡܰܪܓܳܢܺܝܬܳܐ (margānīṯā, “pearl”), from Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs, “pearl”), an Iranian borrowing. For the meaning development compare Arabic مَرْو (marw, “odoriferous plants; Maerua crassifolia; pebble; flint; quartz”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mar.d͡ʒaːn/

Noun

مَرْجَان or مُرْجَان • (marjān or murjān) m (collective, singulative مَرْجَانَة f (marjāna) or مُرْجَانَة (murjāna))

1. small pearls
2. corals

Declension

Declension of noun مَرْجَان (marjān)‎; مُرْجَان (murjān)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَرْجَان‎; مُرْجَان marjān‎; murjān	الْمَرْجَان‎; الْمُرْجَان al-marjān‎; al-murjān	مَرْجَان‎; مُرْجَان marjān‎; murjān
Nominative	مَرْجَانٌ‎; مُرْجَانٌ marjānun‎; murjānun	الْمَرْجَانُ‎; الْمُرْجَانُ al-marjānu‎; al-murjānu	مَرْجَانُ‎; مُرْجَانُ marjānu‎; murjānu
Accusative	مَرْجَانًا‎; مُرْجَانًا marjānan‎; murjānan	الْمَرْجَانَ‎; الْمُرْجَانَ al-marjāna‎; al-murjāna	مَرْجَانَ‎; مُرْجَانَ marjāna‎; murjāna
Genitive	مَرْجَانٍ‎; مُرْجَانٍ marjānin‎; murjānin	الْمَرْجَانِ‎; الْمُرْجَانِ al-marjāni‎; al-murjāni	مَرْجَانِ‎; مُرْجَانِ marjāni‎; murjāni
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَرْجَانَة‎; مُرْجَانَة marjāna‎; murjāna	الْمَرْجَانَة‎; الْمُرْجَانَة al-marjāna‎; al-murjāna	مَرْجَانَة‎; مُرْجَانَة marjānat‎; murjānat
Nominative	مَرْجَانَةٌ‎; مُرْجَانَةٌ marjānatun‎; murjānatun	الْمَرْجَانَةُ‎; الْمُرْجَانَةُ al-marjānatu‎; al-murjānatu	مَرْجَانَةُ‎; مُرْجَانَةُ marjānatu‎; murjānatu
Accusative	مَرْجَانَةً‎; مُرْجَانَةً marjānatan‎; murjānatan	الْمَرْجَانَةَ‎; الْمُرْجَانَةَ al-marjānata‎; al-murjānata	مَرْجَانَةَ‎; مُرْجَانَةَ marjānata‎; murjānata
Genitive	مَرْجَانَةٍ‎; مُرْجَانَةٍ marjānatin‎; murjānatin	الْمَرْجَانَةِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَةِ al-marjānati‎; al-murjānati	مَرْجَانَةِ‎; مُرْجَانَةِ marjānati‎; murjānati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَرْجَانَتَيْن‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْن marjānatayn‎; murjānatayn	الْمَرْجَانَتَيْن‎; الْمُرْجَانَتَيْن al-marjānatayn‎; al-murjānatayn	مَرْجَانَتَيْ‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْ marjānatay‎; murjānatay
Nominative	مَرْجَانَتَانِ‎; مُرْجَانَتَانِ marjānatāni‎; murjānatāni	الْمَرْجَانَتَانِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَتَانِ al-marjānatāni‎; al-murjānatāni	مَرْجَانَتَا‎; مُرْجَانَتَا marjānatā‎; murjānatā
Accusative	مَرْجَانَتَيْنِ‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْنِ marjānatayni‎; murjānatayni	الْمَرْجَانَتَيْنِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَتَيْنِ al-marjānatayni‎; al-murjānatayni	مَرْجَانَتَيْ‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْ marjānatay‎; murjānatay
Genitive	مَرْجَانَتَيْنِ‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْنِ marjānatayni‎; murjānatayni	الْمَرْجَانَتَيْنِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَتَيْنِ al-marjānatayni‎; al-murjānatayni	مَرْجَانَتَيْ‎; مُرْجَانَتَيْ marjānatay‎; murjānatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَرْجَانَات‎; مُرْجَانَات marjānāt‎; murjānāt	الْمَرْجَانَات‎; الْمُرْجَانَات al-marjānāt‎; al-murjānāt	مَرْجَانَات‎; مُرْجَانَات marjānāt‎; murjānāt
Nominative	مَرْجَانَاتٌ‎; مُرْجَانَاتٌ marjānātun‎; murjānātun	الْمَرْجَانَاتُ‎; الْمُرْجَانَاتُ al-marjānātu‎; al-murjānātu	مَرْجَانَاتُ‎; مُرْجَانَاتُ marjānātu‎; murjānātu
Accusative	مَرْجَانَاتٍ‎; مُرْجَانَاتٍ marjānātin‎; murjānātin	الْمَرْجَانَاتِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَاتِ al-marjānāti‎; al-murjānāti	مَرْجَانَاتِ‎; مُرْجَانَاتِ marjānāti‎; murjānāti
Genitive	مَرْجَانَاتٍ‎; مُرْجَانَاتٍ marjānātin‎; murjānātin	الْمَرْجَانَاتِ‎; الْمُرْجَانَاتِ al-marjānāti‎; al-murjānāti	مَرْجَانَاتِ‎; مُرْجَانَاتِ marjānāti‎; murjānāti

Derived terms

• مَرْجَانِيّ (marjāniyy, “coral-related”)

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: mərcan
• → Bashkir: мәрйен (məryen)
• → Georgian: მარჯანი (marǯani)
• → Hausa: murzani, murjani
• → Kazakh: маржан (marjan)
• → Middle Armenian: մարճան (marčan), մարջան (marǰan)
  • Armenian: մարջան (marǰan), մռճամ (mṙčam)
• → Ottoman Turkish: مرجان (mercan)
  • Turkish: mercan
    • → Ladino: merdjan
    • → Romanian: mărgean
• → Persian: مرجان (marjân)
• → Swahili: marijani
• → Tatar: мәрҗән (märcän)
• → Turkmen: mercen
• → Uyghur: مارجان (marjan)
• → Uzbek: marjon

References

• “mrgny”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 59

Ottoman Turkish

مرجان

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَرْجَان (marjān, “coral”), from Classical Syriac ܡܪܰܓܳܢ (margān, “pearl-like”).

Noun

مرجان • (mercan)

1. coral, any of many species of marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa and the hard substance made of their skeletons

Derived terms

• تسبیح مرجانی (tesbih mercanı, “coral bead in a rosary”)
• مرجان بالغی (mercan balığı, “red gurnard”)
• مرجان دانه (mercan dane, “coral bead”)

 

Descendants

• Turkish: mercan
• → Armenian: մէրճան (mērčan)
• → Ladino: merdjan
• → Romanian: mărgean

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “mercan”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3147
• Hindoglu, Artin (1838) “مرجان”, in Hazine-i lûgat ou dictionnaire abrégé turc-français‎^[1], Vienna: F. Beck, page 432b
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “مرجان”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[2], Constantinople: Mihran, page 1146
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Corallium”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[3], Vienna, column 286
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “مرجان”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[4], Vienna, column 4559
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “mercan”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “مرجان”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[5], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1805

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic مَرْجَان (marjān).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [maɾ.d͡ʒɑːn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mäɾ.d͡ʒɑːn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mäɾ.d͡ʒɑːn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mäɾ.d͡ʒɑːn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mäɾ.d͡ʒɔːn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mæɹ.d͡ʒɒːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mäɾ.d͡ʒɔn]

Readings
Classical reading?	marjān
Iranian reading?	marjân
Tajik reading?	marjon

Noun

Dari	مرجان
Iranian Persian
Tajik	марҷон

مرجان • (marjân) (plural مرجان‌ها (marjân-hâ))

1. coral

Proper noun

مرجان • (marjân)

1. a female given name, Marjan, from Arabic

Derived terms

• مرجانی (marjâni)

See also

• بسد