صفة

See also: صفه‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root و ص ف‎ (w-ṣ-f); compare وَصَفَ‎ (waṣafa, “to describe, to characterize”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤi.fa/

Noun

صِفَة • (ṣifa) f (plural صِفَات‎ (ṣifāt))

1. verbal noun of وَصَفَ‎ (waṣafa) (form I)
2. quality, feature, characteristic
3. (grammar) adjective

   Hyponyms: صِفَة مُشَبَّهَة‎ (ṣifa(t) mušabbaha), اِسْم فَاعِل‎ (ism fāʕil), اِسْم مَفْعُول‎ (ism mafʕūl), اِسْم تَفْضِيل‎ (ism tafḍīl)

4. (linguistics) feature
5. attribute

Declension

Declension of noun صِفَة (ṣifa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صِفَة ṣifa	الصِّفَة‎ aṣ-ṣifa	صِفَة ṣifat
Nominative	صِفَةٌ ṣifatun	الصِّفَةُ‎ aṣ-ṣifatu	صِفَةُ ṣifatu
Accusative	صِفَةً ṣifatan	الصِّفَةَ‎ aṣ-ṣifata	صِفَةَ ṣifata
Genitive	صِفَةٍ ṣifatin	الصِّفَةِ‎ aṣ-ṣifati	صِفَةِ ṣifati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صِفَتَيْن‎ ṣifatayn	الصِّفَتَيْن‎ aṣ-ṣifatayn	صِفَتَيْ‎ ṣifatay
Nominative	صِفَتَانِ‎ ṣifatāni	الصِّفَتَانِ‎ aṣ-ṣifatāni	صِفَتَا‎ ṣifatā
Accusative	صِفَتَيْنِ‎ ṣifatayni	الصِّفَتَيْنِ‎ aṣ-ṣifatayni	صِفَتَيْ‎ ṣifatay
Genitive	صِفَتَيْنِ‎ ṣifatayni	الصِّفَتَيْنِ‎ aṣ-ṣifatayni	صِفَتَيْ‎ ṣifatay
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صِفَات‎ ṣifāt	الصِّفَات‎ aṣ-ṣifāt	صِفَات‎ ṣifāt
Nominative	صِفَاتٌ‎ ṣifātun	الصِّفَاتُ‎ aṣ-ṣifātu	صِفَاتُ‎ ṣifātu
Accusative	صِفَاتٍ‎ ṣifātin	الصِّفَاتِ‎ aṣ-ṣifāti	صِفَاتِ‎ ṣifāti
Genitive	صِفَاتٍ‎ ṣifātin	الصِّفَاتِ‎ aṣ-ṣifāti	صِفَاتِ‎ ṣifāti

Descendants

• → Armenian: սֆաթ (sfatʿ), սփաթ (spʿatʿ)
• → Azerbaijani: sifət
• → Georgian: სიფათი (sipati)
• → Indonesian: sifat
• → Kazakh: сипат (sipat)
• → Ottoman Turkish: صفت‎ (sıfat)
  • Turkish: sıfat
• → Persian: صفت‎ (sefat)
• → Punjabi: ਸਿਫ਼ਤ (sifat)
• → Swahili: sifa
• → Tajik: сифат (sifat)
• → Urdu: صفت‎ (sifat)
• → Uyghur: سۈپەت‎ (süpet)
• → Zazaki: sıfet

Further reading

• Carter, Michael George (2017), “The Seven Deadly Sins of Arabic Studies”, in Manuel Sartori, Manuela E. B. Giolfo, Philippe Cassuto, editors, Approaches to the History and Dialectology of Arabic in Honor of Pierre Larcher (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics; 88), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 521–522, 527–531

Etymology 2

From Aramaic צִפָּא‎ / צִיפָּא‎ (ṣippā), צִפְּתָא‎ / צִיפְּתָא‎ (sippəṯā) / ܨܝܦܬܐ‎ / ܨܶܦ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ‎ (ṣeppəṯā, “mat”), suspected to be from Akkadian 𒍦𒉺𒀀𒌅 (ṣip-pa-a-tu /⁠ṣippatu⁠/, “a type of reed”), or instead סִפָּא‎ / סִיפָּא‎ (sippā) / ܣܷܦܴ݁ܐ‎ (seppā, “threshold, doorpost”), alleged to be from Akkadian 𒈨𒁍 (sip-pu /⁠sippu⁠/, “doorsill”) but possibly cognate to it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤuf.fa/

Noun

صُفَّة • (ṣuffa) f (plural صُفَف‎ (ṣufaf) or صِفَاف‎ (ṣifāf))

1. bench, stone bench
2. sofa, sill, shelf, console
3. vestibule, anteroom, entrance-room, portico, an elevated room over or before an edifice including a mosque and even over a sepulchre

   ‏أَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِ‎ ― ʔahlu ṣ-ṣuffati ― the companions of Mohammed

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[1], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 322 line 9:

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[2], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 169 line 9 seq.:

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[3], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 84 line 6:

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[4], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 94 line 6:

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[5], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 449 line 12:

   • a. 1000, المقدسي, edited by Michael Jan de Goeje, أحسن التقاسيم في معرفة الأقاليم [ʾaḥsan at-taqāsīm fī maʿrifa al-ʾaqālīm] (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 3)‎^[6], Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1877, 1906, page 130 line 8:

4. seat of a saddle
5. a small part, a little of
6. a short while, a trice

Declension

Declension of noun صُفَّة (ṣuffa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صُفَّة ṣuffa	الصُّفَّة‎ aṣ-ṣuffa	صُفَّة ṣuffat
Nominative	صُفَّةٌ ṣuffatun	الصُّفَّةُ‎ aṣ-ṣuffatu	صُفَّةُ ṣuffatu
Accusative	صُفَّةً ṣuffatan	الصُّفَّةَ‎ aṣ-ṣuffata	صُفَّةَ ṣuffata
Genitive	صُفَّةٍ ṣuffatin	الصُّفَّةِ‎ aṣ-ṣuffati	صُفَّةِ ṣuffati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صُفَّتَيْن‎ ṣuffatayn	الصُّفَّتَيْن‎ aṣ-ṣuffatayn	صُفَّتَيْ‎ ṣuffatay
Nominative	صُفَّتَانِ‎ ṣuffatāni	الصُّفَّتَانِ‎ aṣ-ṣuffatāni	صُفَّتَا‎ ṣuffatā
Accusative	صُفَّتَيْنِ‎ ṣuffatayni	الصُّفَّتَيْنِ‎ aṣ-ṣuffatayni	صُفَّتَيْ‎ ṣuffatay
Genitive	صُفَّتَيْنِ‎ ṣuffatayni	الصُّفَّتَيْنِ‎ aṣ-ṣuffatayni	صُفَّتَيْ‎ ṣuffatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صُفَف‎‎; صِفَاف‎ ṣufaf‎; ṣifāf	الصُّفَف‎‎; الصِّفَاف‎ aṣ-ṣufaf‎; aṣ-ṣifāf	صُفَف‎‎; صِفَاف‎ ṣufaf‎; ṣifāf
Nominative	صُفَفٌ‎‎; صِفَافٌ‎ ṣufafun‎; ṣifāfun	الصُّفَفُ‎‎; الصِّفَافُ‎ aṣ-ṣufafu‎; aṣ-ṣifāfu	صُفَفُ‎‎; صِفَافُ‎ ṣufafu‎; ṣifāfu
Accusative	صُفَفًا‎‎; صِفَافًا‎ ṣufafan‎; ṣifāfan	الصُّفَفَ‎‎; الصِّفَافَ‎ aṣ-ṣufafa‎; aṣ-ṣifāfa	صُفَفَ‎‎; صِفَافَ‎ ṣufafa‎; ṣifāfa
Genitive	صُفَفٍ‎‎; صِفَافٍ‎ ṣufafin‎; ṣifāfin	الصُّفَفِ‎‎; الصِّفَافِ‎ aṣ-ṣufafi‎; aṣ-ṣifāfi	صُفَفِ‎‎; صِفَافِ‎ ṣufafi‎; ṣifāfi

Descendants

• → Ottoman Turkish: صفه‎ (suffa, sofa)
  • Turkish: sofa
  • → French: sofa (see there for further descendants)

References

• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 287–288
• Freytag, Georg (1833), “صفة”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 502a
• Michael Jan de Goeje, editor (1879) Indices, glossarium et addenda et emendanda ad part. I–III (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 7)‎^[7] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1879, page 281
• Kaufman, Stephen A. (1974) The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Assyriological Studies; 19)‎^[8], Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 92
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860), “صفة”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc (in French), volume 1, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 1343b
• Lane, Edward William (1863), “صفة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1693c–1694

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884), “صفة”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[9], London: W.H. Allen, page 583b