أخ

See also: اخ, آخ, آچ, and آج

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʾaḫ-, from the root ء خ و (ʔ-ḵ-w).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔax/

• Audio:

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Noun

أَخ • (ʔaḵ) m (construct state أَخُو (ʔaḵū), dual أَخَوَان (ʔaḵawān), plural إِخْوَة (ʔiḵwa) or إِخْوَان (ʔiḵwān), feminine أُخْت (ʔuḵt))

1. brother

Usage notes

• أخ is used literally as well as figuratively. The plural إخْوَة (ʔiḵwa) is more common in the literal sense (“brothers”), while إخْوان (ʔiḵwān) is more common in the figurative sense (“brethren”). Moreover, أخ includes both full brothers and half brothers. The synonym شَقِيق (šaqīq) refers to full brothers exclusively.

Declension

Declension of noun أَخ (ʔaḵ)

Singular	singular long construct
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخ ʔaḵ	الْأَخ al-ʔaḵ	أَخُو ʔaḵū
Nominative	أَخٌ ʔaḵun	الْأَخُ al-ʔaḵu	أَخُو ʔaḵū
Accusative	أَخًا ʔaḵan	الْأَخَ al-ʔaḵa	أَخَا ʔaḵā
Genitive	أَخٍ ʔaḵin	الْأَخِ al-ʔaḵi	أَخِي ʔaḵī
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخَوَيْن ʔaḵawayn	الْأَخَوَيْن al-ʔaḵawayn	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Nominative	أَخَوَانِ ʔaḵawāni	الْأَخَوَانِ al-ʔaḵawāni	أَخَوَا ʔaḵawā
Accusative	أَخَوَيْنِ ʔaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ al-ʔaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Genitive	أَخَوَيْنِ ʔaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ al-ʔaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِخْوَة‎; إِخْوَان ʔiḵwa‎; ʔiḵwān	الْإِخْوَة‎; الْإِخْوَان al-ʔiḵwa‎; al-ʔiḵwān	إِخْوَة‎; إِخْوَان ʔiḵwat‎; ʔiḵwān
Nominative	إِخْوَةٌ‎; إِخْوَانٌ ʔiḵwatun‎; ʔiḵwānun	الْإِخْوَةُ‎; الْإِخْوَانُ al-ʔiḵwatu‎; al-ʔiḵwānu	إِخْوَةُ‎; إِخْوَانُ ʔiḵwatu‎; ʔiḵwānu
Accusative	إِخْوَةً‎; إِخْوَانًا ʔiḵwatan‎; ʔiḵwānan	الْإِخْوَةَ‎; الْإِخْوَانَ al-ʔiḵwata‎; al-ʔiḵwāna	إِخْوَةَ‎; إِخْوَانَ ʔiḵwata‎; ʔiḵwāna
Genitive	إِخْوَةٍ‎; إِخْوَانٍ ʔiḵwatin‎; ʔiḵwānin	الْإِخْوَةِ‎; الْإِخْوَانِ al-ʔiḵwati‎; al-ʔiḵwāni	إِخْوَةِ‎; إِخْوَانِ ʔiḵwati‎; ʔiḵwāni

Synonyms

• شَقِيق (šaqīq)

Related terms

• مُكْرَهٌ أَخَاكَ لَا بَطَلٌ (mukrahun ʔaḵāka lā baṭalun, proverb)^[sic]
• إِخَاء (ʔiḵāʔ, verbal noun of آخَى (ʔāḵā))
• إِخَاوَة (ʔiḵāwa)
• أُخْت (ʔuḵt)
• أَخَوِيّ (ʔaḵawiyy, “brotherly”)
• أُخُوَّة (ʔuḵuwwa, “brotherhood”)
• تَآخٍ (taʔāḵin)

See also

• (nouns with long construct singular) الْأَسْمَاء السِّتَّة (al-ʔasmāʔ as-sitta); أَب (ʔab), أَخ (ʔaḵ), حَم (ḥam), فَم (fam), ذُو (ḏū), هَن (han) ^{(Category: Arabic nouns with long construct singular)}

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “ءخو”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN