Arabic

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Etymology

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كَأَنَّ (kaʔanna) +‎ مَا ().

Conjunction

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كَأَنَّمَا (kaʔannamā)

  1. as if, as though
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 5:32:
      [] مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا []
      [] man qatala nafsan biḡayri nafsin ʔaw fasādin fī l-ʔarḍi fa-kaʔannamā qatala n-nāsa jamīʕan wa-man ʔaḥyāhā fa-kaʔannamā ʔaḥyā n-nāsa jamīʕan []
      ...whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption done in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely...