عَدُوٌّ enemy in Arabic
عَدُوٌّ is how you say “enemy” in Arabic.
Root ع د و ʿ-d-w. noun (substantive; fa‘ūl-pattern adjective of the root verb, used as "enemy"). ʿaduww.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of enemy in Arabic
- enemy, foe one who acts with ʿudwān (wrongful, unjust, or aggressive conduct) against another
- adversary, one who transgresses against another tied to the verb ʿadā ʿalayhi, "he acted wrongfully/aggressively against him"
Example sentence
ولباس الذل وإهانة الْعَدو وضيق الصَّدْر
And the clothing of humiliation, the enemy's scorn, and tightness of the chest.
الْعَدُوِّ of the enemy
al- = 'the'; the 'of…' word: 'of the enemy'.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
Lane, citing Er-Rāghib, gives the root's basic sense as transition or the going/passing beyond a limit, and also "incompatibility to coalesce" — the same root that yields ʿadw (running, exceeding a bound) also yields ʿudwān (wrongful, aggressive conduct against someone). ʿAduww, "enemy," names one who stands in that relation of hostility or transgression toward another, rather than one who merely differs or disagrees.
Words from the same root
- عَدَا to pass beyond or transgress a limit; to run; (with ʿalā) to act wrongfully or aggressively against someone
- عَدْوٌ running; a passing beyond or transgressing (verbal noun of ʿadā)
- عُدْوَانٌ sheer, unjust or tyrannical wrongdoing; aggression
- عَدَآءٌ wrongful, injurious conduct against another (verbal noun of ʿadā ʿalā)
- عَدْوَى contagion; the passing of something (e.g. mange) from one who has it to one near him
More example sentences
فقال هذا الكلب عدو الله عمير،
He said: This dog, the enemy of Allah, Umair.
عَدُوُّ enemy of
aduww means 'enemy'; heading an 'of…' phrase with the next word ('enemy of…').
فَإِنَّهُ عَدُوُّهُ
For it is indeed its enemy.
عَدُوُّهُ its enemy
'-hu' = 'its'; the predicate (nominative).
Common questions
- How do you say "enemy" in Arabic?
- عَدُوٌّ (ʿaduww).
- What does the root ع-د-و mean?
- Its core sense is to pass beyond or exceed a limit (as in running, ʿadw); this extends to acting wrongfully or aggressively against someone (ʿudwān), which is how ʿaduww comes to mean "enemy."
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).