Arabic

edit

Etymology 1

edit

In the root ص ن ف (ṣ-n-f) one also finds صِنْفَة (ṣinfa, border of a garment), which fits Ge'ez ጽንፍ (ṣənf, extremity, edge, border, fringe etc.), suspiciously enough with alternative vocalization as in Arabic ጸንፍ (ṣänf). Due to the restricted semantic range and the varying vocalization one wonders about a borrowing from Aramaic. Christian Palestinian Aramaic has ܨܢܦܬܐ (border, fringe (of a garment)) and Jewish Palestinian Aramaic צנפה (ṣanpā, border, fringe (of a garment)) and צנף (to wrap or gird oneself), but Jewish Babylonian Aramaic סנפא, סינפא (sinpā, side-room) seems also similar, via the idea of an anyhow abstract pigeonhole or خَانَة (ḵāna) things are fitted into, not emphatic but no doubt related because in the same isolect there is the geminate verb סנפ (to gird), which is also found in Classical Syriac, while the Syriac base stem ܣܢܱܦ (snap̄) means “to introduce, to insert”; apparently a Western AramaicEastern Aramaic anlaut variation. For the meaning development in to a “sort” also contrast نَمَط (namaṭ, drugget, horse-rug; pattern, manner).

The ultimate origin is suggested by the Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou as ultimately Akkadian [script needed] (ṣiliptu, diagonal), related to Akkadian [script needed] (ṣalāpu, to distort), well also found in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic צלפ / Classical Syriac ܨܠܦ (ṣlap̄, to split, to wound), the geminate stem in Syriac and Jewish Literary Aramaic “to perforate” and “to wound”, the Syriac causative stem “to open up as to show”, with an unemphatic variant Jewish Babylonian Aramaic סלף (to wound), Jewish Literary Aramaic סלף (to wound).

Verb

edit

صَنَّفَ (ṣannafa) II (non-past يُصَنِّفُ (yuṣannifu), verbal noun تَصْنِيف (taṣnīf))

  1. to sort, classify, or categorize something
  2. to compile or compose
Conjugation
edit

Noun

edit

صِنْف (ṣinfm (plural أَصْنَاف (ʔaṣnāf))
صَنْف (ṣanfm (plural صُنُوف (ṣunūf))

  1. kind, sort, specimen
  2. class, genus, species, category
  3. (Classical Arabic) fringe, hem, border of a garment
Declension
edit
Descendants
edit

Etymology 2

edit

Perhaps via Mon [Term?].

Proper noun

edit

صَنْف (ṣanff (Classical Arabic)

  1. Champa (a historical region in Farther India)
Declension
edit

Further reading

edit
  • Corriente, Federico, Pereira, Christophe, Vicente, Angeles, editors (2017), Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou. Perspectives phraséologiques et étymologiques (in French), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 776
  • Freytag, Georg (1833) “صنف”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum[1] (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, pages 526b–527a
  • ṣnp”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • snp”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • ṣlp”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • slp”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–

Ottoman Turkish

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Arabic صِنْف (ṣinf, kind, sort).

Noun

edit

صنف (sınf or sınıf) (definite accusative صنفی (sınfı), plural اصناف (esnâf) or صنوف (sunuf))

  1. kind, sort, type, variety, a class of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together
    Synonyms: جنس (cins), چشید (çeşid), صوی (soy), فن (fenn), نوع (nevʼ)
  2. class, category, a group, collection, or set to which items are assigned based on similarity or defined criteria
  3. classroom, schoolroom, a room, often in a school, where classes take place and in which both children and adults learn
    Synonym: درسخانه (dershâne)
  4. guild, corporation, any association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft or trade
    Synonyms: اصناف (esnâf), لونجه (lonca)

Derived terms

edit

Descendants

edit

Further reading

edit

Persian

edit

Etymology 1

edit

Borrowed from Arabic صِنْف (ṣinf).

Pronunciation

edit
 

Readings
Classical reading? sinf
Dari reading? sinf
Iranian reading? senf
Tajik reading? sinf

Noun

edit

صنف (senf) (plural اصناف (asnâf))

  1. (Dari) class (group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes)
  2. guild (a group of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans)

Etymology 2

edit

Borrowed from Arabic صَنْف (ṣanf).

Pronunciation

edit
 

Readings
Classical reading? sanf
Dari reading? sanf
Iranian reading? sanf
Tajik reading? sanf

Proper noun

edit

صنف (sanf)

  1. Champa (a historical region in Farther India)

Urdu

edit
 
Urdu Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ur

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Classical Persian صِنْف (sinf), from Arabic صِنْف (ṣinf).

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

صِنْف (sinfm (formal plural اَصْناف (asnāf), Hindi spelling सिंफ़)

  1. a genre
  2. (sociology, gender studies) gender
edit

References

edit
  • صنف”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • sinf”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.