Arabic vocabulary
عُبُودِيَّةservitude in Arabic
عُبُودِيَّة is how you say “servitude” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ع ب د (ʿ-b-d)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced ʿubūdiyyah
Meaning of servitude in Arabic
- slavery, servitude — the state of being a slave or in bondage; given as an inf. n. of the verb عَبُدَ, alongside عُبُودَة
- service, worship, or adoration of God — also listed as an inf. n. of عَبَدَ اللّٰهَ, alongside عِبَادَة and عُبُودَة, denoting humble, submissive obedience to God
ʿubūdiyyah is a verbal noun standing alongside ʿubūdah for slavery or bondage, and alongside ʿibādah for devoted service or worship of God — the sense shifts with which underlying verb (ʿabada 'serve/worship' or ʿabuda 'be a slave') it is taken from.
Words from the same root
- عَبْدٌslave, servant
- عَبَدَto serve, worship, or obey God
- عِبَادَةٌworship, religious service
- عُبُودَةٌslavery, servitude
- عَبَّدَto enslave, make a slave of
- اِسْتَعْبَدَto enslave, reduce to slavery
- تَعَبَّدَto devote oneself to worship, become a servant of God
Common questions
- How do you say "servitude" in Arabic?
- عُبُودِيَّة (ʿubūdiyyah).
- Is ʿubūdiyyah about slavery or about worshipping God?
- It can carry both senses in Lane's: as an inf. n. of ʿabuda it means slavery/bondage (like ʿubūdah), and as an inf. n. of ʿabada it means humble service or worship of God (like ʿibādah).
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فقد استخرج منك داء العجب، وألبست خلعة العبودية
For it extracted the disease of conceit from you, and clothed you in the garment of servitude.
العُبُودِيَّةِ — of servitude. al- = 'the'; ubudiyya means 'servitude, worship of God' — the 'of…' word: 'of servitude'.
From: Adam's Descent →وسُبحانَ ربّي الأعلى في السجود؛ لأنّها ثناءٌ وتعظيمٌ وإقرارٌ بالعبودية
and "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High" in prostration, because it is praise, glorification, and an acknowledgment of servitude.
بِالْعُبُودِيَّةِ — of servitude. 'of servitude' — here 'bi' links the acknowledgment to its content, governing the genitive. The -iyya builds the abstract 'being-a-servant', what one is owning up to.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →
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