عُمْرٌ lifespan in Arabic
عُمْرٌ is how you say “lifespan” in Arabic.
Root ع م ر ʿ-m-r. noun (verbal noun / maṣdar). ʿumr.
Arabic
English
The audio uses AI voices.
Meaning of lifespan in Arabic
- lifespan; the span or duration of a person's life
- long life; old age tied to the root verb's sense 'he lived long, his life grew long, he grew old'
Example sentence
ومحق الْبركَة فِي الرزق والعمر وحرمان الْعلم
And the removal of blessings in sustenance and lifespan, and deprivation of knowledge.
وَالْعُمْرِ and lifespan
wa- = 'and'; al- = 'the'; umr means 'lifespan' — still inside 'in… and lifespan'.
The English is machine-translated.
Practise this word in the app
One tap gives you the meaning, a grammar note and audio.
Add the words you don’t know. Practise them with spaced repetition.
Free. No ads. No subscription.
An account is needed in the app.
How it is used
ʿUmr is the everyday word for a person's lifespan or age, built from the verb ʿamira, "to live long, to grow old." The same root also covers a place being lived in and thriving — hence ʿāmir "flourishing, inhabited" and ʿimārah "keeping in good repair" — since Arabic treats a well-peopled, well-kept place as "alive" in a way parallel to a long human life.
Words from the same root
- عَمَّرَ to prolong someone's life; to grant them long life (form II)
- مُعَمَّرٌ one whose life has been prolonged; an aged person
- عَامِرٌ inhabited, populous, flourishing (of a place)
- عِمَارَةٌ inhabiting a place, keeping it in good repair; building, cultivation
- عُمْرَانٌ a flourishing, well-peopled state; prosperity
- عَمَارَةٌ long life (a variant verbal noun alongside ʿumr)
More example sentences
العمر قصير، والأعمال كثيرة، والآجال مفاجئة
Life is short, deeds are many, and death comes suddenly.
العُمْرُ life
The subject of a verbless equating sentence, 'lifespan', its 'the' marking it as a known whole. With no verb 'to be', Arabic sets this subject directly against the adjective that follows.
ومن خف منامه ظهرت بركة عمره
Whoever sleeps lightly, the blessings in his life are evident.
عُمْرِهِ of his life
This is 'his life', the owner in 'blessing of his life', in the genitive to mark possession. The attached 'his' points to the person of 'whoever', tying the blessing to that individual's lifespan.
ومن ثقل نومه محقت بركة عمره
Whoever sleeps heavily, the blessings in his life are diminished.
عُمْرِهِ of his life
This is 'his life', the owner in 'blessing of his life', in the genitive to mark possession, with the attached 'his' tying it back to the person of 'whoever'.
لَعُمْرُكَ مَا شَيْءٌ يَفُوْتُكَ نَيْلُهُ بِغَبْنٍ وَلَكِنَّ فِي الْعُقُولِ التَّغَابُنُ
By your life, nothing you fail to obtain is lost through injustice; rather, minds are mutually deluded.
لَعُمْرُكَ by your life
This is a classical oath formula: a prefixed l- of swearing on the noun 'life', with an attached '-your' at the end, together 'by your life'. The l- marks the whole as an oath, lending the verse its solemn opening. The '-your' addresses the listener directly.
Common questions
- How do you say "lifespan" in Arabic?
- ʿumr (عُمْرٌ).
- What does the root ع م ر mean?
- It centers on living, especially living a long life, and on a place being inhabited or flourishing — giving رise to ʿumr "lifespan," ʿammara "to prolong a life," and ʿāmir "inhabited, flourishing."
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).