وثن

Arabic

وَثَن

Etymology

Borrowed from Old South Arabian 𐩥𐩻𐩬 (wṯn, “boundary stone; stele”) which became used for idols set up at border zones.

Noun

وَثَن • (waṯan) m (plural وُثُن (wuṯun) or أَوْثَان (ʔawṯān))

1. idol, graven image

Declension

Declension of noun وَثَن (waṯan)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	وَثَن waṯan	الْوَثَن al-waṯan	وَثَن waṯan
Nominative	وَثَنٌ waṯanun	الْوَثَنُ al-waṯanu	وَثَنُ waṯanu
Accusative	وَثَنًا waṯanan	الْوَثَنَ al-waṯana	وَثَنَ waṯana
Genitive	وَثَنٍ waṯanin	الْوَثَنِ al-waṯani	وَثَنِ waṯani
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	وَثَنَيْن waṯanayn	الْوَثَنَيْن al-waṯanayn	وَثَنَيْ waṯanay
Nominative	وَثَنَانِ waṯanāni	الْوَثَنَانِ al-waṯanāni	وَثَنَا waṯanā
Accusative	وَثَنَيْنِ waṯanayni	الْوَثَنَيْنِ al-waṯanayni	وَثَنَيْ waṯanay
Genitive	وَثَنَيْنِ waṯanayni	الْوَثَنَيْنِ al-waṯanayni	وَثَنَيْ waṯanay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	وُثُن‎; أَوْثَان wuṯun‎; ʔawṯān	الْوُثُن‎; الْأَوْثَان al-wuṯun‎; al-ʔawṯān	وُثُن‎; أَوْثَان wuṯun‎; ʔawṯān
Nominative	وُثُنٌ‎; أَوْثَانٌ wuṯunun‎; ʔawṯānun	الْوُثُنُ‎; الْأَوْثَانُ al-wuṯunu‎; al-ʔawṯānu	وُثُنُ‎; أَوْثَانُ wuṯunu‎; ʔawṯānu
Accusative	وُثُنًا‎; أَوْثَانًا wuṯunan‎; ʔawṯānan	الْوُثُنَ‎; الْأَوْثَانَ al-wuṯuna‎; al-ʔawṯāna	وُثُنَ‎; أَوْثَانَ wuṯuna‎; ʔawṯāna
Genitive	وُثُنٍ‎; أَوْثَانٍ wuṯunin‎; ʔawṯānin	الْوُثُنِ‎; الْأَوْثَانِ al-wuṯuni‎; al-ʔawṯāni	وُثُنِ‎; أَوْثَانِ wuṯuni‎; ʔawṯāni

Derived terms

• وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy, “idolatrous; idolater”)
• وَثَنِيَّة (waṯaniyya, “idolatry”)

Descendants

• Ge'ez: ወተን (wätän, “idol”)

References

• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 286-287
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 273
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 622
• Wellhausen, Julius (1897) Reste arabischen Heidentumes‎^[1] (in German), Berlin: Georg Reimer, page 102
• Weninger, Stefan (2009) “Der Jemen als lexikalisches Ausstrahlungszentrum in der Antike”, in Philologisches und Historisches zwischen Anatolien und Sokotra. Analecta Semitica in memoriam Alexander Sima‎^[2] (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrasowitz, →ISBN, pages 402–403 Nr. 7