Arabic vocabulary
طَبْعnature in Arabic
طَبْع is how you say “nature” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ط ب ع (ṭ-b-ʿ)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced ṭabʿ
Meaning of nature in Arabic
- innate nature, natural disposition, character — the common sense — a quality impressed on a person by creation or habit
- sealing, stamping, imprinting — the root's literal, original sense
- fashioning, shaping something (e.g. molding clay, striking coins)
Grows out of the literal sense of sealing or stamping: just as a seal fixes a permanent mark, one's ṭabʿ is the disposition "impressed" on the soul, whether by creation or habit — the same image behind the classical phrase "God sealed his heart" for a fixed, unchanging character.
Words from the same root
- طَبَعَto seal, stamp, imprint
- طَبِيعَةٌnature, natural disposition
- طَبِيعِىٌّnatural
- مَطْبَعَةٌprinting press
- طَابِعٌa stamp, seal, mark
Common questions
- How do you say "nature" in Arabic?
- طَبْع (ṭabʿ) — a person's innate nature or natural disposition.
- Why does the same root mean both "seal" and "nature"?
- Because sealing or stamping something fixes a permanent impression on it, and a person's ṭabʿ is likewise the character impressed on them by creation or habit.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فَإِنَّ الطِّبَاعَ تَحْمِلُ عَلَى خُصُومَةِ الأَعْدَاءِ
For nature inclines towards opposing enemies.
الطِّبَاعَ — nature. al- = 'the'; tiba means 'natural dispositions, temperament'; the '-a' ending marks it as the subject of 'inna' ('for nature…').
From: Resisting Temptation →فَهِيَ تَتَنَاوَلُ مَا يَدْعُوهَا إِلَيْهِ الطَّبْعُ مِنَ الْغِذَاءِ إِذَا حَضَرَ
They consume what their nature calls them to when food is present.
الطَّبْعُ — nature. The subject of 'calls', held back until after the verb — Arabic lets the verb come first and name its doer afterward. Nominative.
From: The Discipline of Foresight →وَالآدَمِيُّ يَمْتَنِعُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ بِقَهْرِ عَقْلِهِ
Related words
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