امرأة

Arabic

Alternative forms

• مَرْأة‎ (marʾa)

Etymology

From the root م ر ء‎ (m-r-ʾ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /im.ra.ʔa/

• Audio: ٱمْرَأَةٌ (nominative indefinite singular)

  (file)

Noun

اِمْرَأَة • (imraʾa) f (definite state الْمَرْأَة‎ (al-marʾa), dual اِمْرَأَتَانِ‎ (imraʾatāni), plural نِسَاء‎ (nisāʾ) or نِسْوَة‎ (niswa) or نِسْوَان‎ (niswān) or نُسْوَة‎ (nuswa) or نُسْوَان‎ (nuswān))

1. woman
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 4:12:

     ‏وَإِنْ كَانَ رَجُلٌ يُورَثُ كَلَالَةً أَوِ ٱمْرَأَةٌ وَلَهُ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ فَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا ٱلسُّدُسُ‎

     wa-ʾin kāna rajulun yūraṯu kalālatan ʾawi mraʾatun wa-lahu ʾaḵun ʾaw ʾuḵtun fa-li-kulli wāḥidin minhumā s-sudusu

     And if a man or woman leaves neither ascendants nor descendants but has a brother or a sister, then for each one of them is a sixth.

2. wife
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:21:

     ‏وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِي ٱشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ‎

     wa-qāla llaḏī štarāhu min miṣra li-mraʾatihi ʾakrimī maṯwāhu

     And the one from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, "Make his residence comfortable."

Usage notes

The plurals are suppletive, coming from a different root from the singular.

Declension

Declension of noun اِمْرَأَة (imraʾa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَة imraʾa	الْمَرْأَة‎ al-marʾa	اِمْرَأَة imraʾat
Nominative	اِمْرَأَةٌ imraʾatun	الْمَرْأَةُ‎ al-marʾatu	اِمْرَأَةُ imraʾatu
Accusative	اِمْرَأَةً imraʾatan	الْمَرْأَةَ‎ al-marʾata	اِمْرَأَةَ imraʾata
Genitive	اِمْرَأَةٍ imraʾatin	الْمَرْأَةِ‎ al-marʾati	اِمْرَأَةِ imraʾati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَتَيْن‎ imraʾatayn	الْمَرْأَتَيْن‎ al-marʾatayn	اِمْرَأَتَيْ‎ imraʾatay
Nominative	اِمْرَأَتَانِ‎ imraʾatāni	الْمَرْأَتَانِ‎ al-marʾatāni	اِمْرَأَتَا‎ imraʾatā
Accusative	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ‎ imraʾatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ‎ al-marʾatayni	اِمْرَأَتَيْ‎ imraʾatay
Genitive	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ‎ imraʾatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ‎ al-marʾatayni	اِمْرَأَتَيْ‎ imraʾatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نِسَاء‎‎; نِسْوَة‎‎; نِسْوَان‎‎; نُسْوَة‎‎; نُسْوَان‎ nisāʾ‎; niswa‎; niswān‎; nuswa‎; nuswān	النِّسَاء‎‎; النِّسْوَة‎‎; النِّسْوَان‎‎; النُّسْوَة‎‎; النُّسْوَان‎ an-nisāʾ‎; an-niswa‎; an-niswān‎; an-nuswa‎; an-nuswān	نِسَاء‎‎; نِسْوَة‎‎; نِسْوَان‎‎; نُسْوَة‎‎; نُسْوَان‎ nisāʾ‎; niswat‎; niswān‎; nuswat‎; nuswān
Nominative	نِسَاءٌ‎‎; نِسْوَةٌ‎‎; نِسْوَانٌ‎‎; نُسْوَةٌ‎‎; نُسْوَانٌ‎ nisāʾun‎; niswatun‎; niswānun‎; nuswatun‎; nuswānun	النِّسَاءُ‎‎; النِّسْوَةُ‎‎; النِّسْوَانُ‎‎; النُّسْوَةُ‎‎; النُّسْوَانُ‎ an-nisāʾu‎; an-niswatu‎; an-niswānu‎; an-nuswatu‎; an-nuswānu	نِسَاءُ‎‎; نِسْوَةُ‎‎; نِسْوَانُ‎‎; نُسْوَةُ‎‎; نُسْوَانُ‎ nisāʾu‎; niswatu‎; niswānu‎; nuswatu‎; nuswānu
Accusative	نِسَاءً‎‎; نِسْوَةً‎‎; نِسْوَانًا‎‎; نُسْوَةً‎‎; نُسْوَانًا‎ nisāʾan‎; niswatan‎; niswānan‎; nuswatan‎; nuswānan	النِّسَاءَ‎‎; النِّسْوَةَ‎‎; النِّسْوَانَ‎‎; النُّسْوَةَ‎‎; النُّسْوَانَ‎ an-nisāʾa‎; an-niswata‎; an-niswāna‎; an-nuswata‎; an-nuswāna	نِسَاءَ‎‎; نِسْوَةَ‎‎; نِسْوَانَ‎‎; نُسْوَةَ‎‎; نُسْوَانَ‎ nisāʾa‎; niswata‎; niswāna‎; nuswata‎; nuswāna
Genitive	نِسَاءٍ‎‎; نِسْوَةٍ‎‎; نِسْوَانٍ‎‎; نُسْوَةٍ‎‎; نُسْوَانٍ‎ nisāʾin‎; niswatin‎; niswānin‎; nuswatin‎; nuswānin	النِّسَاءِ‎‎; النِّسْوَةِ‎‎; النِّسْوَانِ‎‎; النُّسْوَةِ‎‎; النُّسْوَانِ‎ an-nisāʾi‎; an-niswati‎; an-niswāni‎; an-nuswati‎; an-nuswāni	نِسَاءِ‎‎; نِسْوَةِ‎‎; نِسْوَانِ‎‎; نُسْوَةِ‎‎; نُسْوَانِ‎ nisāʾi‎; niswati‎; niswāni‎; nuswati‎; nuswāni

Related terms

• مَرْء‎ (marʾ)
• اُمْرُؤ‎ (umruʾ)
• مُرُوءَة‎ (murūʾa)
• مَرِيء‎ (marīʾ)

References

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