ظرف

See also: طرق‎ and طرف‎

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ظ ر ف‎ (ẓ-r-f).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

ظَرْف • (ẓarf) m (plural ظُرُوف‎ (ẓurūf))

1. vessel, container, receptacle
2. metal saucer
3. box, pasteboard box, purse, bag
4. egg cup
5. envelope (for a letter)
6. case
7. cover
8. (grammar) adverb, adverbial expression denoting place or time

   Hyponyms: ظَرْف زَمَان‎ (ẓarf zamān), ظَرْف مَكَان‎ (ẓarf makān)

9. circumstance, condition
10. wit, sagacity
11. gracefulness, elegance, culture

Declension

Declension of noun ظَرْف (ẓarf)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	ظَرْف ẓarf	الظَّرْف‎ aẓ-ẓarf	ظَرْف ẓarf
Nominative	ظَرْفٌ ẓarfun	الظَّرْفُ‎ aẓ-ẓarfu	ظَرْفُ ẓarfu
Accusative	ظَرْفًا‎ ẓarfan	الظَّرْفَ‎ aẓ-ẓarfa	ظَرْفَ ẓarfa
Genitive	ظَرْفٍ ẓarfin	الظَّرْفِ‎ aẓ-ẓarfi	ظَرْفِ ẓarfi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	ظَرْفَيْن‎ ẓarfayn	الظَّرْفَيْن‎ aẓ-ẓarfayn	ظَرْفَيْ‎ ẓarfay
Nominative	ظَرْفَانِ‎ ẓarfāni	الظَّرْفَانِ‎ aẓ-ẓarfāni	ظَرْفَا‎ ẓarfā
Accusative	ظَرْفَيْنِ‎ ẓarfayni	الظَّرْفَيْنِ‎ aẓ-ẓarfayni	ظَرْفَيْ‎ ẓarfay
Genitive	ظَرْفَيْنِ‎ ẓarfayni	الظَّرْفَيْنِ‎ aẓ-ẓarfayni	ظَرْفَيْ‎ ẓarfay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	ظُرُوف‎ ẓurūf	الظُّرُوف‎ aẓ-ẓurūf	ظُرُوف‎ ẓurūf
Nominative	ظُرُوفٌ‎ ẓurūfun	الظُّرُوفُ‎ aẓ-ẓurūfu	ظُرُوفُ‎ ẓurūfu
Accusative	ظُرُوفًا‎ ẓurūfan	الظُّرُوفَ‎ aẓ-ẓurūfa	ظُرُوفَ‎ ẓurūfa
Genitive	ظُرُوفٍ‎ ẓurūfin	الظُّرُوفِ‎ aẓ-ẓurūfi	ظُرُوفِ‎ ẓurūfi

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: ظرف‎ (ḏ̣arf)
• Hijazi Arabic: ظرف‎ (ẓarf)
• → Afar: dárfi
• → Albanian: zarf
• → English: zarf
• → Ottoman Turkish: ظرف‎
• → Persian: ظرف‎
  • → Azerbaijani: zərf
• → Serbo-Croatian: zȁrf
• → Turkish: zarf

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863), “ظرف”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884), “ظرف”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen

Azerbaijani

Noun

ظرف

1. Arabic spelling of zərf (“adverb”)

Declension

Declension of ظرف

	singular	plural
nominative	ظرف	ظرفلر‎
definite accusative	ظرفی‎	ظرفلری‎
dative	ظرفه‎	ظرفلره‎
locative	ظرفده‎	ظرفلرده‎
ablative	ظرفدن‎	ظرفلردن‎
definite genitive	ظرفین‎	ظرفلرین‎

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic ظَرْف‎ (ẓarf).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zˤarf/

Noun

ظَرف • (ẓarf) m (plural ظُروف‎ (ẓurūf))

1. envelope
2. case
3. condition

Persian

FWOTD – 20 July 2022

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic ظَرْف‎ (ẓarf).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ðaɾf]

• (Dari, formal/KBL) IPA^(key): [zäɾf]

• (Iran, formal/TEH) IPA^(key): [zæɹf]

• (Tajik, formal/DUS) IPA^(key): [zäɾf]

• Phonetic Persian:

Traditional: [ذَرْف]‎, Dari: [زَرْف]‎

Iranian: [زَرْف]‎

Readings
Classical reading?	ḏarf
Dari reading?	zarf
Iranian reading?	zarf
Tajik reading?	zarf

Noun

Dari	ظرف
Iranian Persian
Tajik	зарф

ظرف • (zarf) (plural ظروف‎ (zoruf) or ظرف‌ها‎ (zarf-hâ))

1. dish, vessel, container

   Synonym: بشقاب‎ (bošqâb)

   ‏ظرف‌هارا پاک کن‎ ― zarf-hā-rā pāk kun ― clean the dishes (Dari, very formal)

   • 2017, “عکس‌خبر؛ رکورد گران‌ترین ظرف چینی شکسته شد”, in BBC Persian‎^[2]:

     ‏رکورد گران‌ترین ظرف چینی شکسته شد‎

     rekord-e gerân-tarin zarf-e čini šekaste šod

     the record for the most expensive porcelain dish has been broken

2. (figurative) ability, capacity
3. (figurative) patience, forbearance
4. (grammar) adverb

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: zərf

Urdu

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /zə.ɾəf/
• Rhymes: -əf

Noun

ظَرَف • (zaraf) ? (Hindi spelling ज़रफ़)

1. dish, vessel, container

   Synonym: برتن‎ (bartan)