Arabic vocabulary
سَكَنَdwell in Arabic
سَكَنَ is how you say “dwell” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root س ك ن (s-k-n)verb (form I)Pronounced sakana
Meaning of dwell in Arabic
- dwell, inhabit, reside (in a house or place) — sakana l-dāra — to live in a house; the inf. n. for this sense is suknā.
- be or become still, motionless, at rest; calm down, subside — said of anything that had been moving — wind, heat, cold, rain, pain, anger — once its motion or force has gone away.
- trust in, rely upon, feel at ease with — sakana ilayhi/ilayhā — to be tranquil and secure in reliance on someone or something; used in the Qur'an of a husband and wife.
- become poor, lowly, or humble — a rarer sense — to become as one termed miskīn.
The same root underlies the grammatical term for a quiescent, vowelless consonant (as opposed to one that is 'moved'), showing how central the idea of stillness is to the whole family — from calming a feeling to settling in a home.
Words from the same root
- سكّنهُto still, calm, or silence (something); the causative of sakana
- اسكنto settle, house, or lodge someone
- استكنto become humble, abased, or submissive
- تَمَسْكَنَto act poor, feign humility or destitution
- سُكْنَىdwelling, tenancy; the act of inhabiting a place
- سَكِينَةٌtranquility, calm, stillness of mind
- سِكِّينٌknife
Common questions
- How do you say "dwell" in Arabic?
- سَكَنَ (sakana) — literally to come to rest or settle in a place.
- What is the difference between سَكَنَ and سَكَّنَ؟
- سَكَنَ (form I, sakana) means to be/become still or to dwell somewhere; سَكَّنَ (form II, sakkana) is the causative — to make something still or calm it down.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فصل إيّاك والمعاصي فإنها أزالت عزّ اسجدوا، وأخرجت إقطاع اسكن يا آدم
Beware of sins, for they removed the honor of 'bow down,' and expelled the estate of 'dwell, O Adam.'
اسْكُنْ — 'dwell'. A command 'dwell!, settle!' to 'you' (singular); quoted from the address to Adam.
From: Adam's Descent →
Related words
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