أمة

See also: أمه

Arabic

Root
ء م م (ʔ-m-m)

Etymology 1

Compare أُمّ (ʔumm, “mother”). Cognate with Hebrew אומה / אֻמָּה (ʾummā).

Noun

أُمَّة • (ʔumma) f (plural أُمَم (ʔumam)) (countable)

1. community, people, nation
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:104:

     وَلْتَكُن مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

     waltakun minkum ʔummatun yadʕūna ʔilā l-ḵayri wayaʔmurūna bi-l-maʕrūfi wayanhawna ʕani l-munkari wa-ʔulāʔika humu l-mufliḥūna

     And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.

   • Al-Mutanabbi

     أَغَايَةُ الدِّينِ أَنْ تُحْفُوا شَوَارِبَكُمْ / يَا أُمَّةً ضَحِكَتْ مِنْ جَهْلِهَا الْأُمَمُ

     ʔaḡāyatu d-dīni ʔan tuḥfū šawāribakum / yā ʔummatan ḍaḥikat min jahlihā al-ʔumamu

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of noun أُمَّة (ʔumma)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَّة ʔumma	الْأُمَّة al-ʔumma	أُمَّة ʔummat
Nominative	أُمَّةٌ ʔummatun	الْأُمَّةُ al-ʔummatu	أُمَّةُ ʔummatu
Accusative	أُمَّةً ʔummatan	الْأُمَّةَ al-ʔummata	أُمَّةَ ʔummata
Genitive	أُمَّةٍ ʔummatin	الْأُمَّةِ al-ʔummati	أُمَّةِ ʔummati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَّتَيْن ʔummatayn	الْأُمَّتَيْن al-ʔummatayn	أُمَّتَيْ ʔummatay
Nominative	أُمَّتَانِ ʔummatāni	الْأُمَّتَانِ al-ʔummatāni	أُمَّتَا ʔummatā
Accusative	أُمَّتَيْنِ ʔummatayni	الْأُمَّتَيْنِ al-ʔummatayni	أُمَّتَيْ ʔummatay
Genitive	أُمَّتَيْنِ ʔummatayni	الْأُمَّتَيْنِ al-ʔummatayni	أُمَّتَيْ ʔummatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أُمَم ʔumam	الْأُمَم al-ʔumam	أُمَم ʔumam
Nominative	أُمَمٌ ʔumamun	الْأُمَمُ al-ʔumamu	أُمَمُ ʔumamu
Accusative	أُمَمًا ʔumaman	الْأُمَمَ al-ʔumama	أُمَمَ ʔumama
Genitive	أُمَمٍ ʔumamin	الْأُمَمِ al-ʔumami	أُمَمِ ʔumami

Descendants

• → Classical Persian: اُمَّت (ummat), اُمَّة (ummat)

  Dari: اُمَّت (ummat)

  Iranian Persian: اُمَّت (ommat)

  Tajik: уммат (ummat)

  • → Hindustani
    • Hindi: उम्मत (ummat)
    • Urdu: اُمَّت (ummat)
• → English: ummah, umma
• → Indonesian: umat
• → Malay: umat, ummah
• → Swahili: umati, umma

إِمَاءٌ فِي سُوق

Etymology 2

From Proto-Semitic *ʔamat-.

Noun

أَمَة • (ʔama) f (plural إِمَاء (ʔimāʔ) or آمٍ (ʔāmin) or إِمْوَان (ʔimwān) or أُمْوَان (ʔumwān) or أَمَات (ʔamāt), masculine عَبْد (ʕabd)) (countable)

2. female slave

Usage notes

The most common plural form is إِمَاء (ʔimāʔ), with the other forms being obsolete or poetical.

Declension

Declension of noun أَمَة (ʔama)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَمَة ʔama	الْأَمَة al-ʔama	أَمَة ʔamat
Nominative	أَمَةٌ ʔamatun	الْأَمَةُ al-ʔamatu	أَمَةُ ʔamatu
Accusative	أَمَةً ʔamatan	الْأَمَةَ al-ʔamata	أَمَةَ ʔamata
Genitive	أَمَةٍ ʔamatin	الْأَمَةِ al-ʔamati	أَمَةِ ʔamati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَمَتَيْن ʔamatayn	الْأَمَتَيْن al-ʔamatayn	أَمَتَيْ ʔamatay
Nominative	أَمَتَانِ ʔamatāni	الْأَمَتَانِ al-ʔamatāni	أَمَتَا ʔamatā
Accusative	أَمَتَيْنِ ʔamatayni	الْأَمَتَيْنِ al-ʔamatayni	أَمَتَيْ ʔamatay
Genitive	أَمَتَيْنِ ʔamatayni	الْأَمَتَيْنِ al-ʔamatayni	أَمَتَيْ ʔamatay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـٍ (-in)‎; sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِمَاء‎; آمِي‎; إِمْوَان‎; أُمْوَان‎; أَمَات ʔimāʔ‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwān‎; ʔumwān‎; ʔamāt	الْإِمَاء‎; الْآمِي‎; الْإِمْوَان‎; الْأُمْوَان‎; الْأَمَات al-ʔimāʔ‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwān‎; al-ʔumwān‎; al-ʔamāt	إِمَاء‎; آمِي‎; إِمْوَان‎; أُمْوَان‎; أَمَات ʔimāʔ‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwān‎; ʔumwān‎; ʔamāt
Nominative	إِمَاءٌ‎; آمٍ‎; إِمْوَانٌ‎; أُمْوَانٌ‎; أَمَاتٌ ʔimāʔun‎; ʔāmin‎; ʔimwānun‎; ʔumwānun‎; ʔamātun	الْإِمَاءُ‎; الْآمِي‎; الْإِمْوَانُ‎; الْأُمْوَانُ‎; الْأَمَاتُ al-ʔimāʔu‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwānu‎; al-ʔumwānu‎; al-ʔamātu	إِمَاءُ‎; آمِي‎; إِمْوَانُ‎; أُمْوَانُ‎; أَمَاتُ ʔimāʔu‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwānu‎; ʔumwānu‎; ʔamātu
Accusative	إِمَاءً‎; آمِيًا‎; إِمْوَانًا‎; أُمْوَانًا‎; أَمَاتٍ ʔimāʔan‎; ʔāmiyan‎; ʔimwānan‎; ʔumwānan‎; ʔamātin	الْإِمَاءَ‎; الْآمِيَ‎; الْإِمْوَانَ‎; الْأُمْوَانَ‎; الْأَمَاتِ al-ʔimāʔa‎; al-ʔāmiya‎; al-ʔimwāna‎; al-ʔumwāna‎; al-ʔamāti	إِمَاءَ‎; آمِيَ‎; إِمْوَانَ‎; أُمْوَانَ‎; أَمَاتِ ʔimāʔa‎; ʔāmiya‎; ʔimwāna‎; ʔumwāna‎; ʔamāti
Genitive	إِمَاءٍ‎; آمٍ‎; إِمْوَانٍ‎; أُمْوَانٍ‎; أَمَاتٍ ʔimāʔin‎; ʔāmin‎; ʔimwānin‎; ʔumwānin‎; ʔamātin	الْإِمَاءِ‎; الْآمِي‎; الْإِمْوَانِ‎; الْأُمْوَانِ‎; الْأَمَاتِ al-ʔimāʔi‎; al-ʔāmī‎; al-ʔimwāni‎; al-ʔumwāni‎; al-ʔamāti	إِمَاءِ‎; آمِي‎; إِمْوَانِ‎; أُمْوَانِ‎; أَمَاتِ ʔimāʔi‎; ʔāmī‎; ʔimwāni‎; ʔumwāni‎; ʔamāti

Derived terms

• أُمَيَّة (ʔumayya, diminutive)
• تَأَمَّى (taʔammā, “to take as maid”, form V)
• اِسْتَأْمَى (istaʔmā, “to take as maid”, form X)

Descendants

• → Malay: amah
  • Indonesian: amah
• →? Middle Armenian: Ամաթուն (Amatʻun)

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863) “أمة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[1], London: Williams & Norgate, page 103
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 130