Arabic vocabulary
وَحْشَةٌestrangement in Arabic
وَحْشَةٌ is how you say “estrangement” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root و ح ش (w-ḥ-sh)noun (abstract noun; also the feminine of the adjective وَحْشٌ)Pronounced waḥshah
Meaning of estrangement in Arabic
- loneliness, solitude, a feeling of estrangement — the disquiet, sadness, or fear a person feels when separated from others — the state named by the verb استوحش, "to feel waḥshah"
- desolation; a deserted, uninhabited state — used of a place, as in أَرْضٌ وَحْشَةٌ, "a desolate land" — the opposite of being settled or familiar
waḥshah is the direct opposite of uns (ease, sociable familiarity): awḥasha, "to make lonely," is given as the contrary of ānasa, "to make at ease." The word covers both an emotional sense (missing someone, feeling estranged or ill at ease) and a physical one (a place being deserted). Lane notes the everyday expression أَوْحَشْتَنَا, "you have made us lonely," said to someone after an absence — i.e. "we missed you."
Words from the same root
- وَحْشٌa desert or desolate place; also "wild animal(s)" collectively
- وَحْشِىٌّwild, of the wilderness (e.g. حِمَارٌ وَحْشِىٌّ, "a wild ass")
- أَوْحَشَto become desolate (of a place); to make someone feel lonely — opposite of ānasa, "to put at ease"
- مُوحِشٌdesolate, lonely-making (active participle of awḥasha)
- تَوَحَّشَto become wild, unsociable, or shy, like a wild animal
- اسْتَوْحَشَto feel lonely, estranged, or afraid; to be shy of someone
Common questions
- How do you say "estrangement" in Arabic?
- وَحْشَةٌ (waḥshah) — it covers loneliness, solitude, and the disquiet of estrangement.
- What does أَوْحَشْتَنَا mean?
- "You have made us lonely" — a set phrase (from the same root) said to someone after their absence, meaning roughly "we missed you."
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
والوحشة بَين العَبْد وَبَين ربّه
And estrangement between the servant and their Lord.
وَالْوَحْشَةُ — and estrangement. wa- = 'and'; al- = 'the'; wahsha means 'loneliness, estrangement' and is the subject of the phrase.
From: Returning to God →إياك أن تشتغل بهذا الجدل الذي ظهر بعد انقراض الأكابر من العلماء يشير إلى جدل العميدي فإنه يبعد عن الفقه، ويضيع العمر، ويورث الوحشة والعداوة،
Beware of getting involved in this debate that emerged after the passing of the great scholars (referring to the debate of Al-Amidi), for it distances you from understanding the law, wastes your life, and breeds loneliness and enmity.
الوَحْشَةَ — animosity. 'estrangement, desolation', accusative object — the loneliness it breeds.
From: Avoiding Scholarly Disputation →
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