الشام

الشام

Arabic

Alternative forms

• شَأْم‎ (šaʾm)

Etymology

From the root ش ء م‎ (š-ʾ-m), a variant of ش م ل‎ (š-m-l); contrasted with اليَمَن‎ (al-yaman) from *yamīn- (“right-hand side; southward”). Cognate with Hebrew שְׂמֹאל‎ (s'mól, “left”), Akkadian 𒆏 (GÚB, šumēlu, “left side”), Aramaic סְמָלָא‎ /‎ ܣܡܠܐ‎ (semālā, “left side”), Ugaritic 𐎌𐎎𐎀𐎍 (šmảl). The northern sense derives from the left-hand side oriented with the sunrise, also attested in Old South Arabian 𐩦𐩱𐩣‎ (s₂ʔm, “North”).

Proper noun

الشَّام • (aš-šām) m

1. the city of Damascus
2. the area of Greater Syria, the Levant

Declension

Declension of noun الشَّام (aš-šām)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	الشَّام aš-šām	—
Nominative	—	الشَّامُ aš-šāmu	—
Accusative	—	الشَّامَ aš-šāma	—
Genitive	—	الشَّامِ aš-šāmi	—

Synonyms

• (Damascus): دِمَشْق‎ (dimašq)
• (Greater Syria): بِلَاد الشَّام‎ (bilād aš-šām)