صفة

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 (sfatʻ), սփաթ (spʻatʻ)
• Azerbaijani: sifət
• Georgian: სიფათი (sipati)
• Ottoman Turkish: صفت (sıfat)
  • Turkish: sıfat
• Persian: صفت (sefat)
• Indonesian: sifat
• Swahili: sifa
• Tajik: сифат (sifat)
• Urdu: صفت (sifat)
• Uyghur: سۈپەت (süpet)
• Zazaki: sifet

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, pages 521–522, 527–531

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “صفة”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen

Etymology 2

From Aramaic צפא (ṣipā’, “mat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤuf.fa/

Noun

صُفَّة • (ṣuffa) f (plural صُفَف (ṣufaf))

1. bench

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

2. stone bench
3. sofa
4. sill, shelf, console
5. a small part, a little of
6. a short while, a trice
7. seat of a saddle

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 ṣufaf	الصُّفَف aṣ-ṣufaf	صُفَف ṣufaf
Nominative	صُفَفٌ ṣufafun	الصُّفَفُ aṣ-ṣufafu	صُفَفُ ṣufafu
Accusative	صُفَفًا ṣufafan	الصُّفَفَ aṣ-ṣufafa	صُفَفَ ṣufafa
Genitive	صُفَفٍ ṣufafin	الصُّفَفِ aṣ-ṣufafi	صُفَفِ ṣufafi

References

• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 287–288
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “صفة”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[2], London: W.H. Allen