How do you say "prudence" in Arabic?

كَيْس (kays) — it denotes sharpness of intellect and sound, gentle judgment.

What does the root ك ي س mean?

It carries the sense of being sharp or quick in intellect; كَيِّس (kayyis) is 'clever,' and كَاسَ (kāsa) is the verb 'to be clever.'

Arabic vocabulary

كَيْسprudence in Arabic

كَيْس is how you say “prudence” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.

Root ك ي س (k-y-s)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of Form I كَاسَ)Pronounced kays

Meaning of prudence in Arabic

acuteness or sharpness of intellect; shrewdness, cleverness, intelligence — given as the opposite of ḥumq (stupidity); glossed by lexicographers as ẓarf, fiṭna, ʿaql — quick-wittedness
prudence, good sense — the general English gloss for this word — the practical, sound-judgment side of the same acuteness
gentleness, moderation, calmness in conducting an affair — from the phrase kāsa fī l-amr, 'he acted with kays in the matter'

Kays is the abstract noun naming the quality itself — sharp-mindedness paired with good, gentle judgment — rather than the person who has it (that word is kayyis). It is regularly set against ḥumq, 'stupidity,' as its direct opposite.

Words from the same root

كَاسَto be/become acute, sharp-witted, clever (Form I verb)
كَيِّسٌclever, sharp-witted, intelligent (said of a person)
كِيسٌpurse, money-bag (said to 'comprise' its contents)
أَكْيَسَto beget/bear children of sharp intellect (Form IV)
كَايَسَto vie with someone in cleverness (Form III)
تَكَيَّسَto affect or feign cleverness (Form V)

Common questions

How do you say "prudence" in Arabic?: كَيْس (kays) — it denotes sharpness of intellect and sound, gentle judgment.
What does the root ك ي س mean?: It carries the sense of being sharp or quick in intellect; كَيِّس (kayyis) is 'clever,' and كَاسَ (kāsa) is the verb 'to be clever.'

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

Example sentences

لا تجزع من كأس زلل كانت سبب كيسك،
Do not despair from a cup of slip that was the cause of your prudence.
كَيْسِكَ — of your prudence. kays means 'good sense, prudence'; the ending '-ka' adds 'your' — 'of your prudence'.
From: Adam's Descent →

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