أمة

See also: أمه‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root ء م م‎ (ʔ-m-m); compare أُمّ‎ (ʔumm, “mother”). Compare Hebrew אומה / אֻמָּה‎ (ʾummā).

Noun

أُمَّة • (ʔumma) f (plural أُمَم‎ (ʔumam)) (countable)

1. community, people, nation
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:104:

     ‏وَلْتَكُن مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ‎

     waltakun minkum ʔummatun yadʕūna ʔilā l-ḵayri wayaʔmurūna bi-l-maʕrūfi wayanhawna ʕani l-munkari wa-ʔulāʔika humu l-mufliḥūna

     And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.

   • Al-Mutanabbi

     ‏أَغَايَةُ الدِّينِ أَنْ تُحْفُوا شَوَارِبَكُمْ / يَا أُمَّةً ضَحِكَتْ مِنْ جَهْلِهَا الْأُمَمُ‎‎

     ʔaḡāyatu d-dīni ʔan tuḥfū šawāribakum / yā ʔummatan ḍaḥikat min jahlihā al-ʔumamu

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of noun أُمَّة (ʔumma)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَّة ʔumma	الْأُمَّة‎ al-ʔumma	أُمَّة ʔummat
Nominative	أُمَّةٌ ʔummatun	الْأُمَّةُ‎ al-ʔummatu	أُمَّةُ ʔummatu
Accusative	أُمَّةً ʔummatan	الْأُمَّةَ‎ al-ʔummata	أُمَّةَ ʔummata
Genitive	أُمَّةٍ ʔummatin	الْأُمَّةِ‎ al-ʔummati	أُمَّةِ ʔummati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَّتَيْن‎ ʔummatayn	الْأُمَّتَيْن‎ al-ʔummatayn	أُمَّتَيْ‎ ʔummatay
Nominative	أُمَّتَانِ‎ ʔummatāni	الْأُمَّتَانِ‎ al-ʔummatāni	أُمَّتَا‎ ʔummatā
Accusative	أُمَّتَيْنِ‎ ʔummatayni	الْأُمَّتَيْنِ‎ al-ʔummatayni	أُمَّتَيْ‎ ʔummatay
Genitive	أُمَّتَيْنِ‎ ʔummatayni	الْأُمَّتَيْنِ‎ al-ʔummatayni	أُمَّتَيْ‎ ʔummatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَم‎ ʔumam	الْأُمَم‎ al-ʔumam	أُمَم‎ ʔumam
Nominative	أُمَمٌ‎ ʔumamun	الْأُمَمُ‎ al-ʔumamu	أُمَمُ‎ ʔumamu
Accusative	أُمَمًا‎ ʔumaman	الْأُمَمَ‎ al-ʔumama	أُمَمَ‎ ʔumama
Genitive	أُمَمٍ‎ ʔumamin	الْأُمَمِ‎ al-ʔumami	أُمَمِ‎ ʔumami

Descendants

• → English: ummah, umma
• → Indonesian: umat
• → Malay: umat, ummah
• → Swahili: umati, umma

إِمَاءٌ فِي سُوق

Etymology 2

From Proto-Semitic *ʔamat-.

Noun

أَمَة • (ʔama) f (plural إِمَاء‎ (ʔimāʔ) or آمٍ‎ (ʔāmin) or إِمْوَان‎ (ʔimwān) or أُمْوَان‎ (ʔumwān) or أَمَات‎ (ʔamāt), masculine عَبْد‎ (ʕabd)) (countable)

2. female slave

Usage notes

The most common plural form is إِمَاء‎ (ʔimāʔ), with the other forms being obsolete or poetical.

Declension

Declension of noun أَمَة (ʔama)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَمَة ʔama	الْأَمَة‎ al-ʔama	أَمَة ʔamat
Nominative	أَمَةٌ ʔamatun	الْأَمَةُ‎ al-ʔamatu	أَمَةُ ʔamatu
Accusative	أَمَةً ʔamatan	الْأَمَةَ‎ al-ʔamata	أَمَةَ ʔamata
Genitive	أَمَةٍ ʔamatin	الْأَمَةِ‎ al-ʔamati	أَمَةِ ʔamati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَمَتَيْن‎ ʔamatayn	الْأَمَتَيْن‎ al-ʔamatayn	أَمَتَيْ‎ ʔamatay
Nominative	أَمَتَانِ‎ ʔamatāni	الْأَمَتَانِ‎ al-ʔamatāni	أَمَتَا‎ ʔamatā
Accusative	أَمَتَيْنِ‎ ʔamatayni	الْأَمَتَيْنِ‎ al-ʔamatayni	أَمَتَيْ‎ ʔamatay
Genitive	أَمَتَيْنِ‎ ʔamatayni	الْأَمَتَيْنِ‎ al-ʔamatayni	أَمَتَيْ‎ ʔamatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـٍ (-in)‎; sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِمَاء‎‎; آمِي‎‎; إِمْوَان‎‎; أُمْوَان‎‎; أَمَات‎ ʔimāʔ‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwān‎; ʔumwān‎; ʔamāt	الْإِمَاء‎‎; الْآمِي‎‎; الْإِمْوَان‎‎; الْأُمْوَان‎‎; الْأَمَات‎ al-ʔimāʔ‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwān‎; al-ʔumwān‎; al-ʔamāt	إِمَاء‎‎; آمِي‎‎; إِمْوَان‎‎; أُمْوَان‎‎; أَمَات‎ ʔimāʔ‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwān‎; ʔumwān‎; ʔamāt
Nominative	إِمَاءٌ‎‎; آمٍ‎‎; إِمْوَانٌ‎‎; أُمْوَانٌ‎‎; أَمَاتٌ‎ ʔimāʔun‎; ʔāmin‎; ʔimwānun‎; ʔumwānun‎; ʔamātun	الْإِمَاءُ‎‎; الْآمِي‎‎; الْإِمْوَانُ‎‎; الْأُمْوَانُ‎‎; الْأَمَاتُ‎ al-ʔimāʔu‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwānu‎; al-ʔumwānu‎; al-ʔamātu	إِمَاءُ‎‎; آمِي‎‎; إِمْوَانُ‎‎; أُمْوَانُ‎‎; أَمَاتُ‎ ʔimāʔu‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwānu‎; ʔumwānu‎; ʔamātu
Accusative	إِمَاءً‎‎; آمِيًا‎‎; إِمْوَانًا‎‎; أُمْوَانًا‎‎; أَمَاتٍ‎ ʔimāʔan‎; ʔāmiyan‎; ʔimwānan‎; ʔumwānan‎; ʔamātin	الْإِمَاءَ‎‎; الْآمِيَ‎‎; الْإِمْوَانَ‎‎; الْأُمْوَانَ‎‎; الْأَمَاتِ‎ al-ʔimāʔa‎; al-ʔāmiya‎; al-ʔimwāna‎; al-ʔumwāna‎; al-ʔamāti	إِمَاءَ‎‎; آمِيَ‎‎; إِمْوَانَ‎‎; أُمْوَانَ‎‎; أَمَاتِ‎ ʔimāʔa‎; ʔāmiya‎; ʔimwāna‎; ʔumwāna‎; ʔamāti
Genitive	إِمَاءٍ‎‎; آمٍ‎‎; إِمْوَانٍ‎‎; أُمْوَانٍ‎‎; أَمَاتٍ‎ ʔimāʔin‎; ʔāmin‎; ʔimwānin‎; ʔumwānin‎; ʔamātin	الْإِمَاءِ‎‎; الْآمِي‎‎; الْإِمْوَانِ‎‎; الْأُمْوَانِ‎‎; الْأَمَاتِ‎ al-ʔimāʔi‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwāni‎; al-ʔumwāni‎; al-ʔamāti	إِمَاءِ‎‎; آمِي‎‎; إِمْوَانِ‎‎; أُمْوَانِ‎‎; أَمَاتِ‎ ʔimāʔi‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwāni‎; ʔumwāni‎; ʔamāti

Derived terms

• أُمَيَّة‎ (ʔumayya, diminutive)
• تَأَمَّى‎ (taʔammā, “to take as maid”, form V)
• اِسْتَأْمَى‎ (istaʔmā, “to take as maid”, form X)

Descendants

• → Malay: amah
  • Indonesian: amah
• →? Middle Armenian: Ամաթուն (Amatʿun)

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863), “أمة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, page 103
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 130