Arabic vocabulary
إِضَاعَةٌwaste in Arabic
إِضَاعَةٌ is how you say “waste” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ض ي ع (ḍ-y-ʿ)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar — of form II ضيّع and form IV اضاع)Pronounced iḍāʿah
Meaning of waste in Arabic
- destroying, wasting, or causing something to perish or be lost — the verbal noun shared by ضيّع (form II) and اضاع (form IV), both of which Lane glosses as 'he made, or caused, the thing to perish, or become lost; he destroyed it, wasted it, or lost it'
- neglect; leaving something unattended or uncared-for — e.g. neglecting one's family/household, or, in Qur'anic usage, neglecting or deferring prayer
إضاعة is the abstract noun for the act of wasting, destroying, or losing something, and Lane notes it is used interchangeably with تضييع as the inf. n. of ضيّع, while the same meaning also belongs to the form-IV verb اضاع. Its sense stretches from material loss (property, milk, estates) to neglect of duty, as in the Qur'anic أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ, 'they neglected prayer.'
Words from the same root
- ضَاعَ(form I) to perish, come to nought, pass away, or become lost; also to be left unattended or neglected
- ضيّع(form II) to destroy, waste, or lose something; to let it perish
- اضاع(form IV) to cause something to be lost or wasted; to neglect it (e.g. one's family, or prayer)
- تضيّع(form V) said of the wind, to blow (as it destroys what it blows upon); said of musk, to diffuse its fragrance
- ضَيْعَةٌa landed estate or property yielding a revenue; also, a single instance of loss or neglect
- ضَيَاعٌthe state of perishing, coming to nought, or being lost/neglected (verbal noun of ضاع)
- ضُيَيْعَةٌdiminutive of ḍayʿah, 'estate'
Common questions
- How do you say "waste" in Arabic?
- إِضَاعَةٌ (iḍāʿah) — the verbal noun for destroying, wasting, or causing something to be lost.
- What is the root of إضاعة?
- It comes from the root ض ي ع (ḍ-y-ʿ), whose verbs center on perishing, being lost, and neglect.
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.
وَإِضَاعَةُ — and waste. wa- = 'and'; ida'a means 'squandering', leading into the next 'of…' word.
From: Returning to God →
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