See also: غم

Arabic

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Etymology 1

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From عَن (ʕan) +‎ مَا ().

Particle

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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

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Root
ع م م (ʕ m m)
15 terms

Verb

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عَمَّ (ʕamma) I (non-past يَعُمُّ (yaʕummu), verbal noun عُمُوم (ʕumūm))

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

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عَمَّ (ʕamma) I (non-past يَعُمُّ (yaʕummu), verbal noun عُمُوم (ʕumūm))

  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
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Etymology 3

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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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
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Descendants
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  • Swahili: ami

Etymology 4

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Noun

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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
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Etymology 5

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Verb

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عَمِّ (ʕammi) (form II) /ʕam.mi/

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

Egyptian Arabic

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Noun

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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

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Etymology 1

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From Arabic عَمّ (ʕamm, paternal uncle).

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /ʕamm/

Noun

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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
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Etymology 2

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

Particle

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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
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  • 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

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Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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Root
ع م م
2 terms

From Arabic عَمّ (ʕamm).

Noun

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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
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  • خال (ḵāl, maternal uncle)

Etymology 2

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

Particle

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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
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  • 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.