فتى

See also: فتئ

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-West Semitic *pataw- (“to seduce, to beguile”), the young not only so called because they are easily persuaded, as illustrated by Semitic-borrowed Old Armenian տղայ (tłay) and երախայ (eraxay), which refer to the child and the simpleton at the same time, but in particular referring to the sexual prurience of adult-state humans, as that verb primarily bore a literal as well as a saucy meaning “to penetrate, to jook”—hence Tigre ፈታ (fäta) and Ge'ez ፈተወ (fätäwä), Tigrinya ፈተወ (fätäwä) mean “to love”, as in being attracted by the sex.

For similar semantic direction and range, see also م ن ي (m n y) / م ن و (m n w) meaning in the base stem “to tempt; to afflict, to make suffer”, form II “to rouse desire or hope in”, form V “to desire”, well known, and finally specifically in Akkadian 𒈨𒉡𒌝 (menûm, “to love”), but also in Arabic مَنِيّ (maniyy, “what is discharged in ejaculation”). A parallel case for a particular age of man having been named in accordance with such reflections is غُلَام (ḡulām, “boy”) conversely engendering the verb غَلِمَ (ḡalima, “to be in rut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.tan/

Noun

فَتًى • (fatan) m (construct state فَتَى (fatā), dual فَتَيَان (fatayān) or فَتَوَان (fatawān), plural فِتْيَان (fityān) or فِتْيَة (fitya) or فُتُوّ (futuww) or فُتِيّ (futiyy) or فَتَوْن (fatawn), feminine فَتَاة (fatāh))

1. male adolescent, youth, juvenile
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 18:13:

     إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى

     ʔinnahum fityatun ʔāmanū birabbihim wazidnāhum hudan

     They were youths who truly believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance."

2. male servant
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 18:62:

     فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هٰذَا نَصَبًا

     fa-lammā jāwazā qāla li-fatāhu ʔātinā ḡadāʔanā laqad laqīnā min safarinā hāḏā naṣaban

     So when they had passed beyond it, he said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, much fatigue."

Declension

Declension of noun فَتًى (fatan)

singular	singular in ـًى (-an)
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فَتَى fatā	الْفَتَى al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
nominative	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
accusative	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
genitive	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فَتَيَيْن‎; فَتَوَيْن fatayayn‎; fatawayn	الْفَتَيَيْن‎; الْفَتَوَيْن al-fatayayn‎; al-fatawayn	فَتَيَيْ‎; فَتَوَيْ fatayay‎; fataway
nominative	فَتَيَانِ‎; فَتَوَانِ fatayāni‎; fatawāni	الْفَتَيَانِ‎; الْفَتَوَانِ al-fatayāni‎; al-fatawāni	فَتَيَا‎; فَتَوَا fatayā‎; fatawā
accusative	فَتَيَيْنِ‎; فَتَوَيْنِ fatayayni‎; fatawayni	الْفَتَيَيْنِ‎; الْفَتَوَيْنِ al-fatayayni‎; al-fatawayni	فَتَيَيْ‎; فَتَوَيْ fatayay‎; fataway
genitive	فَتَيَيْنِ‎; فَتَوَيْنِ fatayayni‎; fatawayni	الْفَتَيَيْنِ‎; الْفَتَوَيْنِ al-fatayayni‎; al-fatawayni	فَتَيَيْ‎; فَتَوَيْ fatayay‎; fataway
plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; sound plural in ـَوْنَ (-awna)
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فِتْيَان‎; فِتْيَة‎; فُتُوّ‎; فُتِي‎; فَتَيْن fityān‎; fitya‎; futuww‎; futī‎; fatayn	الْفِتْيَان‎; الْفِتْيَة‎; الْفُتُوّ‎; الْفُتِي‎; الْفَتَيْن al-fityān‎; al-fitya‎; al-futuww‎; al-futī‎; al-fatayn	فِتْيَان‎; فِتْيَة‎; فُتُوّ‎; فُتِي‎; فَتَيْ fityān‎; fityat‎; futuww‎; futī‎; fatay
nominative	فِتْيَانٌ‎; فِتْيَةٌ‎; فُتُوٌّ‎; فُتِيٌّ‎; فَتَوْنَ fityānun‎; fityatun‎; futuwwun‎; futiyyun‎; fatawna	الْفِتْيَانُ‎; الْفِتْيَةُ‎; الْفُتُوُّ‎; الْفُتِيُّ‎; الْفَتَوْنَ al-fityānu‎; al-fityatu‎; al-futuwwu‎; al-futiyyu‎; al-fatawna	فِتْيَانُ‎; فِتْيَةُ‎; فُتُوُّ‎; فُتِيُّ‎; فَتَوْ fityānu‎; fityatu‎; futuwwu‎; futiyyu‎; fataw
accusative	فِتْيَانًا‎; فِتْيَةً‎; فُتُوًّا‎; فُتِيًّا‎; فَتَيْنَ fityānan‎; fityatan‎; futuwwan‎; futiyyan‎; fatayna	الْفِتْيَانَ‎; الْفِتْيَةَ‎; الْفُتُوَّ‎; الْفُتِيَّ‎; الْفَتَيْنَ al-fityāna‎; al-fityata‎; al-futuwwa‎; al-futiyya‎; al-fatayna	فِتْيَانَ‎; فِتْيَةَ‎; فُتُوَّ‎; فُتِيَّ‎; فَتَيْ fityāna‎; fityata‎; futuwwa‎; futiyya‎; fatay
genitive	فِتْيَانٍ‎; فِتْيَةٍ‎; فُتُوٍّ‎; فُتِيٍّ‎; فَتَيْنَ fityānin‎; fityatin‎; futuwwin‎; futiyyin‎; fatayna	الْفِتْيَانِ‎; الْفِتْيَةِ‎; الْفُتُوِّ‎; الْفُتِيِّ‎; الْفَتَيْنَ al-fityāni‎; al-fityati‎; al-futuwwi‎; al-futiyyi‎; al-fatayna	فِتْيَانِ‎; فِتْيَةِ‎; فُتُوِّ‎; فُتِيِّ‎; فَتَيْ fityāni‎; fityati‎; futuwwi‎; futiyyi‎; fatay

Derived terms

• أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “cadet”)
• تَفَتَّى (tafattā, “to assume likeness to youths”)
• فَتَّى (fattā, “to reckon adolescent”)
• فَتِيَ (fatiya, “to be youthful”)
• فَتِيّ (fatiyy, “young”)
• فُتَيّ (futayy) (diminutive)
• فُتُوَّة (futuwwa, “youth; chivalry, generosity”)
  • فَتَا (fatā, “to surpass in generosity”)

References

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