مزية

Arabic

Etymology

From the root م ز ي (m z y) meaning to set apart, to sit far from someone, to eulogize or praise, to be distinguished or privileged, to be elegant or possessing beautification or adornment. Interrelated with and likely developed from the root ز و ي (z w y) also denoting to set aside or apart, to invest with accoutrements, to supply, to deck or adorn, to place as a cornerstone, the most desirable looking stone of all a building's pieces.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.zij.ja/

Noun

مَزِيّة • (maziyya) f (plural مَزَايَا (mazāyā) or مَزِيَّات (maziyyāt))

1. excellent trait, merit, virtue, distinguishing feature, special quality; advantage, benefit

   مِنْ مَزَايَا هٰذَا النِّظَامِ...

   min mazāyā hāḏā n-niẓāmi...

   Among the advantages of this system...

   أَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَبْحَثُ عَنْ كَهْفٍ بِحَدِّ ذَاتِهِ، بَلْ عَنْ مَوْقِعٍ يُعْطِيهِ أَكْبَرَ عَدَدٍ مُمْكِنٍ مِنَ الْمَزَايَا بِأَقَلِّ قَدْرٍ مِنَ الْمَخَاطِرِ.

   ʔanna l-ʔinsāna lam yakun yabḥaṯu ʕan kahfin biḥaddi ḏātihi, bal ʕan mawqiʕin yuʕṭīhi ʔakbara ʕadadin mumkinin mina l-mazāyā biʔaqalli qadrin mina l-maḵāṭiri.

   That the human being was not looking for a cave in itself, but rather for a location that would give him the greatest possible number of advantages with the least amount of risks.

   الأَفْرَادُ الَّذِينَ يَمْتَلِكُونَ سِمَاتٍ تُعْطِيهِمْ مِيْزَةً فِي بِيئَتِهِمْ هُمْ أَكْثَرُ عُرْضَةً لِلْبَقَاءِ وَالتَّكَاثُرِ وتُوَرَّثُ السِّمَاتُ المُفِيدَةُ لِلأَبْنَاءِ. عَلَى مَدَى أَجْيَالٍ عَدِيدَةٍ، تَتَرَاكَمُ هٰذِهِ المَزَايَا الصَّغِيرَةُ، مِمَّا يُؤَدِّي إِلَى تَطَوُّرِ الجَمَاعَاتِ.

   Individuals with traits that give them an advantage in their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, and helpful traits are passed on to offspring. Over many generations, these small advantages accumulate, leading to evolution of populations.

Declension

Declension of noun مَزِيّة (maziyya)

singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	مَزِيّة maziyya	الْمَزِيّة al-maziyya	مَزِيّة maziyyat
nominative	مَزِيّةٌ maziyyatun	الْمَزِيّةُ al-maziyyatu	مَزِيّةُ maziyyatu
accusative	مَزِيّةً maziyyatan	الْمَزِيّةَ al-maziyyata	مَزِيّةَ maziyyata
genitive	مَزِيّةٍ maziyyatin	الْمَزِيّةِ al-maziyyati	مَزِيّةِ maziyyati
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	مَزِيّتَيْن maziyyatayn	الْمَزِيّتَيْن al-maziyyatayn	مَزِيّتَيْ maziyyatay
nominative	مَزِيّتَانِ maziyyatāni	الْمَزِيّتَانِ al-maziyyatāni	مَزِيّتَا maziyyatā
accusative	مَزِيّتَيْنِ maziyyatayni	الْمَزِيّتَيْنِ al-maziyyatayni	مَزِيّتَيْ maziyyatay
genitive	مَزِيّتَيْنِ maziyyatayni	الْمَزِيّتَيْنِ al-maziyyatayni	مَزِيّتَيْ maziyyatay
plural	broken plural invariable; sound feminine plural
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّات mazāyā; maziyyāt	الْمَزَايَا; الْمَزِيَّات al-mazāyā; al-maziyyāt	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّات mazāyā; maziyyāt
nominative	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتٌ mazāyā; maziyyātun	الْمَزَايَا; الْمَزِيَّاتُ al-mazāyā; al-maziyyātu	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتُ mazāyā; maziyyātu
accusative	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتٍ mazāyā; maziyyātin	الْمَزَايَا; الْمَزِيَّاتِ al-mazāyā; al-maziyyāti	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتِ mazāyā; maziyyāti
genitive	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتٍ mazāyā; maziyyātin	الْمَزَايَا; الْمَزِيَّاتِ al-mazāyā; al-maziyyāti	مَزَايَا; مَزِيَّاتِ mazāyā; maziyyāti

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: məziyyət
• → Persian: مزیت (maziyyat)
• → Ottoman Turkish: مزیت (meziyyet)
  • > Turkish: meziyet (inherited)

References

• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881), “مزية”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎^[1] (in French), volume 2, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 587–588
• Freytag, Georg (1837), “مزية”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[2] (in Latin), volume 4, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 176
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860), “مزية”, 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^[3] (in French), volume 2, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 1101
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985), “مزية”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[4] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 1203