Arabic vocabulary
تَعَبَّدworship in Arabic
تَعَبَّد is how you say “worship” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ع ب د (ʿ-b-d)verb (form V)Pronounced taʿabbada
Meaning of worship in Arabic
- devote oneself to worship, apply oneself to acts of devotion — the primary sense, matching the gloss 'worship'
- adopt a religion as one's own — used with بِ, e.g. تعبّد بالإسلام, 'he embraced Islam'
- make someone a slave, enslave — transitive use, overlapping with Form II عبّد
This is Form V of the root, built on عَبَدَ 'he served/worshipped God'. It carries a reflexive, effortful sense: making oneself into a servant of God through devotion, rather than simply serving. The same pattern extends to declaring a religion one's own, as in تعبّد بالإسلام.
Words from the same root
- عَبْدٌslave, servant
- عِبَادَةٌworship, religious devotion
- إِسْتَعْبَدَto enslave, subjugate
- عَبِيدٌslaves
- عُبُودَةٌslavery, servitude
Common questions
- How do you say "worship" in Arabic?
- تَعَبَّد (taʿabbada) means to devote oneself to worship; the related noun عِبَادَة (ʿibādah) is the word for 'worship' itself.
- What does تعبّد بالإسلام mean?
- It means 'he adopted Islam as his religion' — literally, he made himself a servant of God by following Islam.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
لَيْسَ الْعجب من مَمْلُوك يتذلل لله ويتعبّد لَهُ،
It is not surprising for a servant to humble himself before Allah and worship Him,
وَيَتَعَبَّدُ — and worship Him. wa- = 'and'; present-tense verb 'worships, devotes himself', 'he' form — 'and worships'.
From: Seeds and Streams of Deeds →
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like تَعَبَّد through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app