طعام

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ط ع م‎ (ṭ-ʿ-m). Cognate with Hebrew טַעַם‎ (ṭāʿām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˤa.ʕaːm/

• Audio

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Noun

طَعَام • (ṭaʿām) m (plural أَطْعِمَة‎ (ʾaṭʿima))

1. (countable, uncountable) food
   • 609–632 C.E., Qur'an, 2:259:

     ‏قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَٱنْظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ‎

     qāla bal llabiṯta miʾata ʿāmin fa-nẓur ʾilā ṭaʿāmika wa-šarābika lam yatasannah

     He said, “Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time.”

2. (verbal noun) feeding
   • 609–632 C.E., Qur'an, 89:18:

     ‏وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ‎

     wa-lā taḥāḍḍūna ʿalā ṭaʿāmi l-miskīni

     And ye urge not on feeding the poor.

3. (countable, uncountable, formerly Ḥijāz, al-Andalus, now South Tunisia) wheat
   • c. 1200, يحيى بن محمد بن أحمد بن العوام‎ [Yaḥyā ibn muḥammad ibn ʾaḥmad ibn al-ʿawwām], José Antonio Banqueri, editor, كتاب الفلاحة‎ [Book on Agriculture], volume 1, Madrid: Imprenta Real, published 1802^IA, Cap. 16, page 680:

     ‏وقيل إن نضح بقدر جرة من ماء الزيتون قدر مائة جرة من الطعام لم يفسد ولم تصبه آفة وإن نضح عليه ماء الأفسنتين بقي ولم يفسد.‎‎

     It is said that when a jar of wheat is dampened with a jar of amurca it does not suffer decay nor damage, and if it is dampened with absinthe water, it stays and does not rot.

   Synonyms: قَمْح‎ (qamḥ), حِنْطَة‎ (ḥinṭa), بُرّ‎ (burr), غَلَّة‎ (ḡalla)

4. (countable, uncountable, Ḥaḍramawt) grain, cereal

Declension

Declension of noun طَعَام (ṭaʿām)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طَعَام ṭaʿām	الطَّعَام‎ aṭ-ṭaʿām	طَعَام ṭaʿām
Nominative	طَعَامٌ ṭaʿāmun	الطَّعَامُ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmu	طَعَامُ ṭaʿāmu
Accusative	طَعَامًا‎ ṭaʿāman	الطَّعَامَ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāma	طَعَامَ ṭaʿāma
Genitive	طَعَامٍ ṭaʿāmin	الطَّعَامِ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmi	طَعَامِ ṭaʿāmi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طَعَامَيْن‎ ṭaʿāmayn	الطَّعَامَيْن‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmayn	طَعَامَيْ‎ ṭaʿāmay
Nominative	طَعَامَانِ‎ ṭaʿāmāni	الطَّعَامَانِ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmāni	طَعَامَا‎ ṭaʿāmā
Accusative	طَعَامَيْنِ‎ ṭaʿāmayni	الطَّعَامَيْنِ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmayni	طَعَامَيْ‎ ṭaʿāmay
Genitive	طَعَامَيْنِ‎ ṭaʿāmayni	الطَّعَامَيْنِ‎ aṭ-ṭaʿāmayni	طَعَامَيْ‎ ṭaʿāmay
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَطْعِمَة‎ ʾaṭʿima	الْأَطْعِمَة‎ al-ʾaṭʿima	أَطْعِمَة‎ ʾaṭʿimat
Nominative	أَطْعِمَةٌ‎ ʾaṭʿimatun	الْأَطْعِمَةُ‎ al-ʾaṭʿimatu	أَطْعِمَةُ‎ ʾaṭʿimatu
Accusative	أَطْعِمَةً‎ ʾaṭʿimatan	الْأَطْعِمَةَ‎ al-ʾaṭʿimata	أَطْعِمَةَ‎ ʾaṭʿimata
Genitive	أَطْعِمَةٍ‎ ʾaṭʿimatin	الْأَطْعِمَةِ‎ al-ʾaṭʿimati	أَطْعِمَةِ‎ ʾaṭʿimati

Descendants

• Algerian Arabic: طعام‎ (ṭʕām, “couscous”)
• Maltese: tgħam (“wheat”)
• Moroccan Arabic: طعام‎ (ṭʕām, “couscous”)

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Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic طَعَام‎ (ṭaʿām, “wheat, grain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˤʕaːm/

Noun

طعام • (ṭʕām) m

1. couscous

   Synonyms: سكسو‎ (saksu, suksu), كسكسو‎ (ksaksu, ksuksu)