Arabic vocabulary
قَابِلَةreceptive in Arabic
قَابِلَة is how you say “receptive” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ق ب ل (q-b-l)active participle (feminine), form IPronounced qābila
Meaning of receptive in Arabic
- receptive, accepting — feminine active participle of qabila, 'to take, receive, or admit willingly'
- one that takes in or admits readily — describes a person or thing open to receiving something
Qābila is the feminine active participle of qabila (form I), 'to take, receive, or admit willingly.' It sits in a root family built around facing and accepting — qābala 'to face/meet,' aqbala 'to advance, come forward' (opposite of turning away), and istaqbala 'to face, go to meet' all share the same forward-facing core sense that qabila extends into 'accept.'
Words from the same root
- قَبِلَto take, receive, or admit willingly; to accept
- قَابَلَto face, be opposite; to correspond to, compare, or requite
- أَقْبَلَto come facing, advance, come forward (opposite of turning away)
- تَقَابَلُواthey faced or confronted one another
- اِسْتَقْبَلَto face, turn toward, go to meet, or anticipate
- اِقْتَبَلَto begin or commence (an affair)
- قَبْلُbefore (in time, place, or rank); opposite of after
- قَابِلٌaccepting, receptive (masculine counterpart of this word)
Common questions
- How do you say "receptive" in Arabic?
- قَابِلَة (qābila) — the feminine active participle of qabila, 'to accept or receive willingly.'
- What root does qābila come from, and what else shares it?
- It comes from ق ب ل (q-b-l), the root behind qabila 'to accept,' qābala 'to face or meet,' and aqbala 'to advance, come forward.'
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
أَرض الْفطْرَة رحبة قابلة لما يغرس فيها،
The soil of innate disposition is expansive and receptive to what is planted in it.
قَابِلَةٌ — receptive. qabila means 'receptive, accepting'; the '-un' ending — a further description ('and receptive').
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →
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