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.

Arabic vocabulary

جَنَىharvest in Arabic

جَنَى is how you say “harvest” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.

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

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'

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

جِنَايَةٌa crime, offense, or wrongdoing
جَانٍone who commits an offense, a wrongdoer
جَنًىproduce or fruit ready to be gathered
جَنِىٌّfreshly picked or just-ripened fruit
تَجَنَّىَto falsely accuse someone of wrongdoing

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.

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

Example sentences

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 →
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 →

Related words

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