Arabic vocabulary
نَفْرَةٌaversion in Arabic
نَفْرَةٌ is how you say “aversion” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ن ف ر (n-f-r)noun (verbal noun of a single instance, from the form I verb)Pronounced nafrah
Meaning of aversion in Arabic
- aversion; a shrinking or recoiling from something — the tropical/figurative sense of the root, as in nafartu min hādhā l-amr, 'I shrank from, was averse to, this affair'
- a fright; a sudden bolting or darting off — the root's literal, physical sense — a wild animal or beast taking fright and fleeing at random
The root's core image is a wild animal bolting in fright (sharada). Lane notes this is used tropically for people: nafartu min hādhā l-amr, 'I shrank from this affair,' or nafarat al-marʾah min zawjihā, 'the woman was averse from her husband.' Nafrah captures that figurative sense of recoiling dislike. The same root gives the Qur'anic phrase illā nufūran, 'save in aversion' (Q 17:43, 35:40).
Words from the same root
- نَفَرَto take fright and flee at random (of a beast); by extension, to shrink from or be averse to something
- نُفُورٌaversion; fleeing or shying away in fright — the main verbal noun of the root
- نِفَارٌshying, bolting, fleeing in fright — a near-synonym of nufūr
- نَفِيرٌa going-forth to fight; a summons or call to arms
- نَفَّرَto scare away; to make (an animal) take fright and flee
- أَنْفَرَto scare away, drive off (a form IV synonym of naffara)
Common questions
- How do you say "aversion" in Arabic?
- نَفْرَةٌ (nafrah).
- What does the root ن ف ر (n-f-r) of nafrah mean?
- It centers on a wild animal taking fright and bolting; by extension it covers shrinking away from, disliking, or being averse to a person or thing.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
وخمول الذّكر وإضاعة الْوَقْت ونفرة الْخلق
Fading of reputation, waste of time, and people's aversion.
وَنَفْرَةُ — and aversion. wa- = 'and'; nafra means 'recoiling, aversion', leading into the next 'of…' word.
From: Returning to God →
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