امرأة

Arabic

Etymology

From the root م ر ء (m-r-ʔ)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔim.ra.ʔa/

  Audio: ٱمْرَأَةٌ (nominative indefinite singular)

  (file)

Noun

اِمْرَأَة • (imraʔa) f (definite state الْمَرْأَة (al-marʔa), dual اِمْرَأَتَانِ (imraʔatāni), plural نِسَاء (nisāʔ) or نِسْوَة (niswa) or نِسْوَان (niswān) or نُسْوَة (nuswa) or نُسْوَان (nuswān))

1. woman
2. wife

Usage notes

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

Declension

Declension of noun اِمْرَأَة (imraʔa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَة imraʔa	الْمَرْأَة al-marʔa	اِمْرَأَة imraʔat
Nominative	اِمْرَأَةٌ imraʔatun	الْمَرْأَةُ al-marʔatu	اِمْرَأَةُ imraʔatu
Accusative	اِمْرَأَةً imraʔatan	الْمَرْأَةَ al-marʔata	اِمْرَأَةَ imraʔata
Genitive	اِمْرَأَةٍ imraʔatin	الْمَرْأَةِ al-marʔati	اِمْرَأَةِ imraʔati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِمْرَأَتَيْن imraʔatayn	الْمَرْأَتَيْن al-marʔatayn	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Nominative	اِمْرَأَتَانِ imraʔatāni	الْمَرْأَتَانِ al-marʔatāni	اِمْرَأَتَا imraʔatā
Accusative	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ imraʔatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ al-marʔatayni	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Genitive	اِمْرَأَتَيْنِ imraʔatayni	الْمَرْأَتَيْ al-marʔatay	اِمْرَأَتَيْ imraʔatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نِسَاء‎; نِسْوَة‎; نِسْوَان‎; نُسْوَة‎; نُسْوَان nisāʔ‎; niswa‎; niswān‎; nuswa‎; nuswān	النِّسَاء‎; النِّسْوَة‎; النِّسْوَان‎; النُّسْوَة‎; النُّسْوَان an-nisāʔ‎; an-niswa‎; an-niswān‎; an-nuswa‎; an-nuswān	نِسَاء‎; نِسْوَة‎; نِسْوَان‎; نُسْوَة‎; نُسْوَان nisāʔ‎; niswat‎; niswān‎; nuswat‎; nuswān
Nominative	نِسَاءٌ‎; نِسْوَةٌ‎; نِسْوَانٌ‎; نُسْوَةٌ‎; نُسْوَانٌ nisāʔun‎; niswatun‎; niswānun‎; nuswatun‎; nuswānun	النِّسَاءُ‎; النِّسْوَةُ‎; النِّسْوَانُ‎; النُّسْوَةُ‎; النُّسْوَانُ an-nisāʔu‎; an-niswatu‎; an-niswānu‎; an-nuswatu‎; an-nuswānu	نِسَاءُ‎; نِسْوَةُ‎; نِسْوَانُ‎; نُسْوَةُ‎; نُسْوَانُ nisāʔu‎; niswatu‎; niswānu‎; nuswatu‎; nuswānu
Accusative	نِسَاءً‎; نِسْوَةً‎; نِسْوَانًا‎; نُسْوَةً‎; نُسْوَانًا nisāʔan‎; niswatan‎; niswānan‎; nuswatan‎; nuswānan	النِّسَاءَ‎; النِّسْوَةَ‎; النِّسْوَانَ‎; النُّسْوَةَ‎; النُّسْوَانَ an-nisāʔa‎; an-niswata‎; an-niswāna‎; an-nuswata‎; an-nuswāna	نِسَاءَ‎; نِسْوَةَ‎; نِسْوَانَ‎; نُسْوَةَ‎; نُسْوَانَ nisāʔa‎; niswata‎; niswāna‎; nuswata‎; nuswāna
Genitive	نِسَاءٍ‎; نِسْوَةٍ‎; نِسْوَانٍ‎; نُسْوَةٍ‎; نُسْوَانٍ nisāʔin‎; niswatin‎; niswānin‎; nuswatin‎; nuswānin	النِّسَاءِ‎; النِّسْوَةِ‎; النِّسْوَانِ‎; النُّسْوَةِ‎; النُّسْوَانِ an-nisāʔi‎; an-niswati‎; an-niswāni‎; an-nuswati‎; an-nuswāni	نِسَاءِ‎; نِسْوَةِ‎; نِسْوَانِ‎; نُسْوَةِ‎; نُسْوَانِ nisāʔi‎; niswati‎; niswāni‎; nuswati‎; nuswāni

Alternative forms

• مَرْأة (marʔa)

Related terms

• مَرْء (marʔ)
• اُمْرُؤ (umruʔ)
• مُرُوءَة (murūʔa)
• مَرِيء (marīʔ)

References

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