See also: شاء

Arabic

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Etymology

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Root
س و ء (s w ʔ)
8 terms

Compare سُوء (sūʔ, evil).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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سَاءَ (sāʔa) I (non-past يَسُوءُ (yasūʔu), verbal noun سُوء (sūʔ) or سَوْء (sawʔ) or سَوَاء (sawāʔ))

  1. to act badly, maltreat, injure
  2. (transitive) to grieve
  3. to be bad
  4. to displease
    مَنْ سَرَّةُ زَمَنُ سَاءَتْةُ أَزْمَانُ
    man sarratu zamanu sāʔatatu ʔazmānu
    Whosoever is pleased by time, has been harmed by time itself
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:120:
      إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِن تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَا
      ʔin tamsaskum ḥasanatun tasuʔhum wa-ʔin tuṣibkum sayyiʔatun yafraḥū bihā
      If good touches you, it distresses them; but if harm strikes you, they rejoice at it.

Conjugation

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Verb

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سَاءَ (sāʔa) (feminine (archaic) سَاءَتْ)

  1. how bad! How miserable!
    Synonym: بِئْسَ (biʔsa)
    Antonyms: نِعْمَ (niʕma), حَبَّذَا (ḥabbaḏā)
    سَاءَ قَوْلُ ٱلْمَرْءِ ٱلْكَذِبُ.
    sāʔa qawlu l-marʔi l-kaḏibu.
    What bad man’s words lies are.
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:177:
      سَاءَ مَثَلًا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَأَنْفُسَهُمْ كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ
      sāʔa maṯalan-il-qawmu llaḏīna kaḏḏabū bi-ʔāyātinā wa-ʔanfusahum kānū yaẓlimūna
      How evil an example, the people who denied Our signs and used to wrong themselves.