الشام

Arabic

Alternative forms

• شام (šām)

Etymology

From the root ش ء م (š-ʔ-m), a variant of ش م ل (š-m-l); contrasted with اليَمَن (al-yaman) from *yamīn- (“right-hand side; southward”). Cognate with Hebrew שְׂמֹאל (s'mól, “left”), Akkadian 𒆏 (šumēlum, “left side”), Aramaic סְמָלָא / ܣܡܠܐ (semālā, “left side”), Ugaritic 𐎌𐎎𐎀𐎍 (šmảl). The northern sense derives from the left-hand side oriented with the sunrise, also attested in Old South Arabian 𐩦𐩱𐩣 (s²ʾm, “North”).

The “Greater Syria, the Levant” sense is an ellipsis of بِلَاد الشَّام (bilād aš-šām).

Proper noun

الشَّام • (aš-šām) f

1. Damascus (the capital city of Syria)

   Synonym: دِمَشْق (dimašq)

   الشَّام القَدِيمَة

   aš-šām al-qadīma

   Old Damascus

Declension

Declension of noun الشَّام (aš-šām)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	الشَّام aš-šām	—
Nominative	—	الشَّامُ aš-šāmu	—
Accusative	—	الشَّامَ aš-šāma	—
Genitive	—	الشَّامِ aš-šāmi	—

Proper noun

الشَّام • (aš-šām) m

1. Greater Syria, the Levant (a region of Western Asia, in the Middle East)

   Synonym: بِلَاد الشَّام (bilād aš-šām)

Declension

Declension of noun الشَّام (aš-šām)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	الشَّام aš-šām	—
Nominative	—	الشَّامُ aš-šāmu	—
Accusative	—	الشَّامَ aš-šāma	—
Genitive	—	الشَّامِ aš-šāmi	—

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic الشَّام (aš-šām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃʃaːm/, [(ɪ)ʃˈʃæːm]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Proper noun

الشام • (iš-šām) f

1. Damascus (the capital city of Syria)

   Synonym: (formal) دمشق (dimašq)

Derived terms

• بلاد الشام (blād iš-šām, “Syria; Levant”)
• شامي (šāmi, “Damascene; Levantine”)