عَدَدnumber

Example sentences

• وَإِنْ كَانُوا الْأَكْثَرِينَ عَدَدًا،

  Even if they are the majority in number,

  عَدَدًا — in number. A bare-accusative noun answering 'most in what?': in number. As with the earlier 'in worth', Arabic places a specifying accusative after the elative to state the measure. The ending alone signals the 'as regards number' role, so one word completes 'the most numerous in count'.

  From: Choosing Good Companions →

• إنما همتهم في السماع على جهلة الشيوخ، وتكثير العدد من الأجزاء والرواة،

  Their only concern is listening to ignorant scholars and accumulating large numbers of volumes and narrators.

  العَدَدِ — the numbers. A noun with al- 'the', definite, 'the number/count', forming the owned half of 'the multiplying of the count'. The two nouns side by side give 'of' with no separate word. As the possessor in that pairing it takes the genitive ('of') ending, and its al- makes the count definite.

  From: Sincere Worship →