Arabic vocabulary
خُمُولٌobscurity in Arabic
خُمُولٌ is how you say “obscurity” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root خ م ل (kh-m-l)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of form I خَمَلَ)Pronounced khumūl
Meaning of obscurity in Arabic
- obscurity; being unnoted, reputeless, or of no reputation — said of a person, or of a person's reputation (ذِكْر) or renown (صَوْت), fading into obscurity
- effacement; being obliterated or imperceptible — the earlier, more concrete sense — used of a place of abode, or a tattoo-mark, wearing away and disappearing
Khumūl and its root sit as the standing opposite of fame: form IV اخمل is glossed directly as the contrary of نَبَّهَ ('to make renowned'), and a related infinitive noun even appears in a description of the Prophet purely to be paired against نَبَاهَة ('renown'). So the word marks a person or a thing's reputation as having faded into obscurity, extending an older, more concrete sense of a mark or dwelling being effaced and no longer perceptible.
Words from the same root
- خَمَلَto become obscure/unnoted; to be effaced (form I verb)
- أَخْمَلَto render someone obscure or reputeless (form IV; explicit opposite of نَبَّهَ, 'to make renowned')
- خَامِلٌan obscure, unnoted, reputeless person
- خَمِيلَةٌa dense grove of trees, or a fertile meadow/lowland
- خِمْلَةٌa person's hidden secret or concealed inner disposition
- خَمْلٌthe nap or pile on the surface of a garment or carpet
- خُمَالٌa lameness or joint ailment, in a person or in a beast's legs
Common questions
- How do you say "obscurity" in Arabic?
- خُمُولٌ (khumūl) — the verbal noun of خَمَلَ, used of a person or their reputation sinking into obscurity.
- What does خَامِلٌ (khāmil) mean?
- An obscure, unnoted, reputeless person — the adjective from the same root as خُمُولٌ, describing someone with no standing or renown.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
وخمول الذّكر وإضاعة الْوَقْت ونفرة الْخلق
Fading of reputation, waste of time, and people's aversion.
وَخُمُولُ — and obscurity. wa- = 'and'; khumul means 'being unknown, unnoticed', leading into the next 'of…' word.
From: Returning to God →
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