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.'

كَيْس prudence in Arabic

كَيْس is how you say “prudence” in Arabic.

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

Arabic

English

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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'

Example sentence

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'.

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How it is used

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

كَاسَ to be/become acute, sharp-witted, clever (Form I verb)
كَيِّسٌ clever, sharp-witted, intelligent (said of a person)
كِيسٌ purse, money-bag (said to 'comprise' its contents)
أَكْيَسَ to beget/bear children of sharp intellect (Form IV)
كَايَسَ to vie with someone in cleverness (Form III)
تَكَيَّسَ to 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.'

Related words

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