سواء

See also: سوآء

Arabic

Etymology 1

Root
س و ي (s-w-y)

Noun

سَوَاء • (sawāʔ) m

1. equal
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 26:136:

     قَالُوا۟ سَوَاۤءٌ عَلَیۡنَاۤ أَوَعَظۡتَ أَمۡ لَمۡ تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡوَ ٰ⁠عِظِینَ

     qālū sawāʔun ʕalaynā ʔawaʕaẓta ʔam lam takun mina l-wāʕiẓīna

     They said, “It is all the same to us whether you warned us or not."

Declension

Declension of noun سَوَاء (sawāʔ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَوَاء sawāʔ	السَّوَاء as-sawāʔ	سَوَاء sawāʔ
Nominative	سَوَاءٌ sawāʔun	السَّوَاءُ as-sawāʔu	سَوَاءُ sawāʔu
Accusative	سَوَاءً sawāʔan	السَّوَاءَ as-sawāʔa	سَوَاءَ sawāʔa
Genitive	سَوَاءٍ sawāʔin	السَّوَاءِ as-sawāʔi	سَوَاءِ sawāʔi

Descendants

• Maltese: sewwa
• → Swahili: sawa
• → Tigre: ሰውኣ (säwʾa)

Adverb

سَوَاءً • (sawāʔan)

1. equally, likewise

Etymology 2

Root
س و ء (s-w-ʔ)

Noun

سَوَاء • (sawāʔ) m

1. verbal noun of سَاءَ (sāʔa) (form I)

Declension

Declension of noun سَوَاء (sawāʔ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَوَاء sawāʔ	السَّوَاء as-sawāʔ	سَوَاء sawāʔ
Nominative	سَوَاءٌ sawāʔun	السَّوَاءُ as-sawāʔu	سَوَاءُ sawāʔu
Accusative	سَوَاءً sawāʔan	السَّوَاءَ as-sawāʔa	سَوَاءَ sawāʔa
Genitive	سَوَاءٍ sawāʔin	السَّوَاءِ as-sawāʔi	سَوَاءِ sawāʔi

References

• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (2020) “سواء”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart (in German), 6th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 453