مفتاح

Arabic

Etymology

Tool noun from the verb فَتَحَ‎ (fataḥa, “to open”). Compare Hebrew מַפְתֵּחַ‎ (maftéakh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mif.taːħ/

• Audio

  (file)

  • (Hijazi) IPA^(key): /muf.taːħ/

Noun

مِفْتَاح • (miftāḥ) m, plural مَفَاتِيح‎ (mafātīḥ) or مَفَاتِح‎ (mafātiḥ)

1. key (to a door)

   Synonym: مِفْتَح‎ (miftaḥ)

2. key (on a piano or other keyboard instrument)

   ‏لَوْحَة مَفَاتِيح‎

   lawḥa(t) mafātīḥ

   keyboard

3. (figuratively) key

   ‏مِفْتَاح السَّعَادة‎

   miftāḥ as-saʕāda

   Key of Happiness

Declension

Declension of noun مِفْتَاح (miftāḥ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِفْتَاح miftāḥ	الْمِفْتَاح‎ al-miftāḥ	مِفْتَاح miftāḥ
Nominative	مِفْتَاحٌ miftāḥun	الْمِفْتَاحُ‎ al-miftāḥu	مِفْتَاحُ miftāḥu
Accusative	مِفْتَاحًا‎ miftāḥan	الْمِفْتَاحَ‎ al-miftāḥa	مِفْتَاحَ miftāḥa
Genitive	مِفْتَاحٍ miftāḥin	الْمِفْتَاحِ‎ al-miftāḥi	مِفْتَاحِ miftāḥi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِفْتَاحَيْن‎ miftāḥayn	الْمِفْتَاحَيْن‎ al-miftāḥayn	مِفْتَاحَيْ‎ miftāḥay
Nominative	مِفْتَاحَانِ‎ miftāḥāni	الْمِفْتَاحَانِ‎ al-miftāḥāni	مِفْتَاحَا‎ miftāḥā
Accusative	مِفْتَاحَيْنِ‎ miftāḥayni	الْمِفْتَاحَيْنِ‎ al-miftāḥayni	مِفْتَاحَيْ‎ miftāḥay
Genitive	مِفْتَاحَيْنِ‎ miftāḥayni	الْمِفْتَاحَيْنِ‎ al-miftāḥayni	مِفْتَاحَيْ‎ miftāḥay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَفَاتِيح‎‎; مَفَاتِح‎ mafātīḥ‎; mafātiḥ	الْمَفَاتِيح‎‎; الْمَفَاتِح‎ al-mafātīḥ‎; al-mafātiḥ	مَفَاتِيح‎‎; مَفَاتِح‎ mafātīḥ‎; mafātiḥ
Nominative	مَفَاتِيحُ‎‎; مَفَاتِحُ‎ mafātīḥu‎; mafātiḥu	الْمَفَاتِيحُ‎‎; الْمَفَاتِحُ‎ al-mafātīḥu‎; al-mafātiḥu	مَفَاتِيحُ‎‎; مَفَاتِحُ‎ mafātīḥu‎; mafātiḥu
Accusative	مَفَاتِيحَ‎‎; مَفَاتِحَ‎ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa	الْمَفَاتِيحَ‎‎; الْمَفَاتِحَ‎ al-mafātīḥa‎; al-mafātiḥa	مَفَاتِيحَ‎‎; مَفَاتِحَ‎ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa
Genitive	مَفَاتِيحَ‎‎; مَفَاتِحَ‎ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa	الْمَفَاتِيحِ‎‎; الْمَفَاتِحِ‎ al-mafātīḥi‎; al-mafātiḥi	مَفَاتِيحِ‎‎; مَفَاتِحِ‎ mafātīḥi‎; mafātiḥi

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: مفتاح‎
• Egyptian Arabic: مفتاح‎ (muftāḥ)
• Hijazi Arabic: مفتاح‎ (muftāḥ)
• Maltese: muftieħ
• Moroccan Arabic: مفتاح‎ (muftāḥ)

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مِفْتَاح‎ (miftāḥ, “key”).

Noun

مفتاح • (miftah) (plural مفاتح‎)

1. key, an object designed to open and close a lock

   Synonyms: آناختار‎ (anahtar), كلید‎ (kilid)

Descendants

• Turkish: miftah

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007), “miftah”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3214
• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “مفتاح”, in Dictionnaire turc-français, Constantinople: Mihran, page 1201
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687), “Clavis”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum, Vienna, column 190
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680), “مفتاح”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum, Vienna, column 4805
• Redhouse, James W. (1890), “مفتاح”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1929

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ف ت ح‎

Etymology

From Arabic مِفْتَاح‎ (miftāḥ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muf.taːħ/, [mʊfˈtæːħ]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

Noun

مفتاح • (muftāḥ) m, plural مفاتيح‎ (mafātīḥ)

1. key
2. electrical switch