How to say "example" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningexample
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
مِثَال
mithālמת'אל
مثال
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
דוגמה
dugmaدُوگْمَا
How the two words are related
Shifted meaning
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
م-ث-لHebrew root
מ-ש-לRoot م-ث-ل is Hebrew מ-ש-ל (Arabic ث ↔ Hebrew ש, as in thalātha/שלוש): Arabic mithl 'like', mathal 'proverb', mithāl 'example' — Hebrew משל 'parable, fable'. The everyday overlap is perfect: Arabic mathalan, 'for example', is Hebrew למשל.
Related Hebrew word:למשלlemashalلِمَاشَال
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In a phrase
أَعْطِنِي مِثَالًا
aʿṭinī mithālanאעטני מת'אלאןGive me an example.
Plural
أَمْثِلَة
amthilaאמת'להbroken plural afʿila.