Arabic vocabulary
كَرَمgenerosity in Arabic
كَرَم is how you say “generosity” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ك ر م (k-r-m)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced karam
Meaning of generosity in Arabic
- generosity, nobility, liberality — generous or honourable quality, e.g. in a person or a horse; opposite of لَئِيم (mean, base)
- high worth, preciousness — of a thing: being highly esteemed, prized, or valuable (from the verb كَرُمَ, 'to be/become excellent or precious')
كَرَم names the core virtue of generosity/nobility of character, prototypically illustrated by a generous horse or a hospitable host, and by extension the high worth of any prized thing or fertile land. The root appears in the Qur'anic divine epithet ذُو الجَلَالِ وَالإِكْرَامِ, "Possessor of majesty and bounty" (Qur'an 55:27).
Words from the same root
- كَرُمَto be/become highly esteemed, excellent, or precious; also said of land: to be fertile, well-tilled
- كَرِيمٌgenerous, noble, high-born; also 'excellent, valuable' of things and land
- أَكْرَمَto treat someone with honour or courtesy (form IV)
- إِكْرَامthe act of honouring; bounty, as in the Qur'anic epithet 'Possessor of majesty and bounty'
- كَرَامَةhonour, dignity; also the term for a saint's miracle (thaumaturgy)
- مَكْرَمَةa generous or honourable quality or deed; a means of attaining honour
- تَكْرِمَةan honouring, a mark of honour shown to someone
- تَكَرَّمَto shun or keep oneself far from something base; or to affect generosity (form V)
Common questions
- How do you say "generosity" in Arabic?
- كَرَم (karam).
- What is the difference between كَرَم and كَرِيم؟
- كَرَم (karam) is the abstract noun 'generosity/nobility'; كَرِيم (karīm) is the adjective describing a generous or noble person or thing.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فَإِن غفرها لَهُ فبمحض إحسانه وَكرمه
So if He forgives it for him, it is by His pure kindness and generosity.
وَكَرَمِهِ — and generosity. wa- = 'and'; karam means 'generosity'; the ending '-hi' adds 'His' — 'His generosity'.
From: Returning to God →وأرحم من أمر ، وأعلم من أوحى ، وأكرم من هدى ،
And more merciful than those who command, more knowledgeable than those who have revealed, and more generous than those who guide,
وَأَكْرَمُ — and more generous. This is the bound wa- 'and' plus a superlative, 'and more generous', closing the trio of attributes. The 'more/most' is folded into the pattern, the wa- coordinates it with the others, and it opens a final comparison with the following 'than those who'.
From: True Devotion →
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