See also: غم

Arabic edit

Etymology 1 edit

From عَن (ʕan) +‎ مَا ().

Particle edit

عَمَّ (ʕamma)

  1. from what?
  2. about what?
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 78:1:
      عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
      ʕamma yatasāʔalūna
      About what are they asking one another?

Etymology 2 edit

Verb edit

عَمَّ (ʕamma) I, non-past يَعُمُّ‎ (yaʕummu)

  1. to be or become general
  2. to spread, to prevail
    هُنَالِكَ عَمَّ ٱلْخَيْرُ
    hunālika ʕamma l-ḵayru
    The good spread there.
Conjugation edit

Verb edit

عَمَّ (ʕamma) I, non-past يَعُمُّ‎ (yaʕummu)

  1. to comprise, to include, to encompass, to pervade
    عَمَّ ٱلْمَطَرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ
    ʕamma l-maṭaru l-ʔarḍa
    The rain encompassed the whole land.
    عَمَّهُمُ ٱلْمَرَضُ
    ʕammahumu l-maraḍu
    The disease spread among them.
  2. to extend, to stretch, to be diffused, to be prevailing
Conjugation edit

Etymology 3 edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

عَمّ (ʕammm (plural أَعْمام (ʔaʕmām) or عُمُوم (ʕumūm), feminine عَمَّة (ʕamma))

  1. paternal blood uncle (one's father's brother)
  2. (informal) term of address to an older person
Declension edit
Descendants edit
  • Swahili: ami

Etymology 4 edit

Noun edit

عَمٍ (ʕamin) (masculine plural عَمُونَ (ʕamūna), feminine plural عَمِيَات (ʕamiyāt))

  1. blind
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 27:66:
      بَلِ ٱدَّارَكَ عِلْمُهُمْ فِي ٱلْآخِرَةِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْهَا ۖ بَلْ هُم مِنْهَا عَمُونَ
      bali ddāraka ʕilmuhum fī l-ʔāḵirati bal hum fī šakkin minhā bal hum minhā ʕamūna
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Declension edit

Etymology 5 edit

Verb edit

عَمِّ (ʕammi) (form II)

  1. second-person masculine singular active imperative of عَمَّى (ʕammā)

Egyptian Arabic edit

Noun edit

عم (ʿammm (feminine عمه (ʿamma), plural أعمام (ʾaʿmām))

  1. paternal uncle (brother of one's father)
  2. (informal) Term of address to an older person

North Levantine Arabic edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Arabic عَمّ (ʕamm, paternal uncle).

Pronunciation edit

IPA(key): /ʕamm/

Noun edit

عم (ʿammm (plural عموم (ʿmūm), feminine عمة (ʿamme))

  1. paternal uncle
  2. (informal, especially with vocative يا ()) term of address to an older person or stranger
Derived terms edit

Etymology 2 edit

Clipping of عَمَّال (ʕammāl), an earlier form related to the verb عمل (ʕimil, to do). See also مّا (mma).

Particle edit

عم (ʿam(m) or ʿamma)

  1. Used with a following imperfect verb to mark the present progressive tense.
    عَمَّ بيِتسَاءَلُوا
    ʿamma byitsāʾalu
    They’re messing around.
    شو عم تعمل؟ — عم إشرب قهوة
    šū ʿam taʿmil? — ʿam ʾišrab ʾahwe.
    What are you doing? — I’m drinking coffee.
Usage notes edit
  • Can be negated with either ما () or مش (miš).
  • The distribution of the two pronunciations, as well as of the b-prefix on the verb, varies by speaker and region. (Note that neither of these variables has any bearing on the construction's meaning.) Common possibilities follow, demoed using the phrase "I'm eating, he's eating":
    1. Verbs always appear with the prefix بـ (b-). Possibilities from here:
      1. عَم (ʕam) is used invariably: عَمْ باكل، عَمْ بياكلʿam bākul, ʿam byākul
      2. عَم (ʕam) is used when the بـ (b-) precedes a vowel, and عَمَّ (ʕamma) when it precedes another consonant. This is to avoid a three-consonant cluster: عَمْ باكل، عَمَّ بياكلʿam bākul, ʿamma byākul
    2. Verbs use the indicative prefix بـ (b-) when it precedes a vowel, and omit it when it would precede a consonant. This too is to avoid a three-consonant cluster. Therefore, عَم (ʕam) is used invariably: عَمْ باكل، عَمْ ياكلʿam bākul, ʿam yākul
    3. Verbs never use the indicative prefix بـ (b-). Therefore, عَم (ʕam) is used invariably: عَمْ آكل، عَمْ ياكلʿam ʾākul, ʿam yākul
  • These are not constants, however. Speakers will often alternate between the options presented, even sometimes preserving the عَمَّ (ʕamma) pronunciation unconditioned.

South Levantine Arabic edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ʕamm/, [ʕam]
  • (file)

Etymology 1 edit

Root
ع م م
2 terms

From Arabic عَمّ (ʕamm).

Noun edit

عمّ (ʕammm (plural عمام (ʕmām), feminine عمّة (ʕamme))

  1. paternal uncle (father's brother)
    Endearing form: عمّو (ʕammo)
  2. father-in-law
    Synonym: حما (ḥama)
See also edit
  • خال (ḵāl, maternal uncle)

Etymology 2 edit

Clipping of عمّال (ʕammāl), an earlier form related to the verb عمل (ʕimil, to do).

Particle edit

عمّ (ʕamm)

  1. used to stress the ongoing nature of an action
    عمّ بشرب قهوة.
    ʕam bašrab ʔahwe.
    I'm drinking coffee right now.
Usage notes edit
  • Although widely used, عمّ (ʕamm) is technically emphatic and thus optional; the present tense can already refer to continuous actions.
  • In theory, عمّ (ʕamm) would be followed by the present tense; however, the بـ (b-) non-past marker is usually elided to avoid a consonant cluster — yielding the subjunctive. However, note that the elision does not occur to 1st-person singular forms, and is optional in cases where بتـ is realized as bit- (e.g. bitsawwi). Likewise, the elision does not occur at all when عمّ is realized as ʕamma.