How do you say "harvest" in Arabic?

جَنَى (janā) — literally to gather or pluck fruit.

Why does جَنَى also mean "to commit a crime"?

The sense of committing an offense is a metaphorical extension of gathering fruit — as if one 'reaps' wrongdoing against another person.

جَنَى harvest in Arabic

جَنَى is how you say “harvest” in Arabic.

Root ج ن ي j-n-y. verb (form I). janā.

Arabic

English

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Meaning of harvest in Arabic

to gather, pluck, or harvest fruit from a tree also used of truffles, honey, gold, and similar things collected
to commit a crime or offense against someone metaphorical use, extended from the literal sense of plucking fruit
to bring injury or evil upon someone tropical usage, e.g. جَنَى شَرًّا, 'he brought about an evil thing'

Example sentence

فَكلما أثمر مِنْهَا شَيْء جنيت ثمره وغرست نَوَاه

So whenever something from it bears fruit, you harvest its fruit and plant its seeds.

جَنَيْتَ you harvest

Past-tense verb 'gathered, harvested', 'you' form (the '-ta' = you) — 'you harvested'.

From Seeds and Streams of Deeds

The English is machine-translated.

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How it is used

The literal sense is agricultural — plucking fruit, truffles, or even collecting gold or honey. From this the root extends metaphorically to committing a crime or bringing injury upon someone, as if 'reaping' a bad outcome; this shift is explicit in classical usage and gives the root its legal vocabulary (جِنَايَةٌ, جَانٍ).

Words from the same root

جِنَايَةٌ a crime, offense, or wrongdoing
جَانٍ one who commits an offense, a wrongdoer
جَنًى produce or fruit ready to be gathered
جَنِىٌّ freshly picked or just-ripened fruit
تَجَنَّىَ to falsely accuse someone of wrongdoing

More example sentences

اجْتَنَى حَلاوَةَ الْمُنَى فِي عَوَاقِبِهِ

He will reap the sweetness of desires in its outcomes.

اجْتَنَى he will reap

Past-tense verb, subject 'he' built in.

From Intellect and Faith

Common questions

How do you say "harvest" in Arabic?: جَنَى (janā) — literally to gather or pluck fruit.
Why does جَنَى also mean "to commit a crime"?: The sense of committing an offense is a metaphorical extension of gathering fruit — as if one 'reaps' wrongdoing against another person.

Related words

Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).