سماء

سماء

Arabic

Root
س م و‎ (s-m-w)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *šamāy- (“sky, space”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.maːʔ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

سَمَاء • (samāʔ) f (dual سَمَاوَانِ‎ (samāwāni) or سَمَاءَانِ‎ (samāʔāni), plural سَمَاوَات‎ (samāwāt))

1. (countable) the sky; the heaven(s), the celestial sphere(s)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 6:99:

     ‏وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ‎

     wahuwa llaḏī ʔanzala mina s-samāʔi māʔan faʔaḵrajnā bihi nabāta kulli šayʔin

     And it is He Who sends down rain from the sky. And with it have We brought forth germination of all things;

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:29:

     ‏هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَّا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ إِلَىٰ ٱلسَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّىٰهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٍ‎

     huwa llaḏī ḵalaqa lakum mmā fī l-ʔarḍi jamīʕan ṯumma stawā ʔilā s-samāʔi fasawwāhunna sabʕa samāwātin

     It is He Who created for you all what is on earth. Again he directed himself towards the heaven and made thereof symmetrically seven heavens.

   1. (by extension) the produce of the sky (such as clouds, nimbuses, or rain)

      Hyponyms: سَحَاب‎ (saḥāb, “clouds”), غَيْم‎ (ḡaym, “clouds; fog; mist”), مَطَر‎ (maṭar, “rain”), سَيْل‎ (sayl, “rain; a torrent, a shower, a hail”)

      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 71:11:

        ‏فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا / يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا / وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا‎

        So I said, "Repent to your Lord! He is the Most-Forgiving! / He shall send the profuse sky upon you, / And He shall provide you with wealth and children and make paradises and rivers for you!"

   2. (countable) space (when observed from earth)

      Synonym: فَضَاء‎ (faḍāʔ, “a space, a void”)

   3. (proper noun, religion) the abode of God traditionally conceived as beyond the sky; Heaven, the empyrean
      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 67:16:

        ‏ءَأَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي ٱلسَّمَاءِ أَنْ يَّخْسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ‎

        ʔaʔamintum mman fī s-samāʔi ʔan yyaḵsifa bikumu l-ʔarḍa faʔiḏā hiya tamūru

        Are you [so] certain that He Who is in Heaven will cause not the earth, when it would be swaying in tumult, to swallow you up?

      • 1865 CE, Bible (SVD), Book of Ezra, 5:12:

        ‏وَلَٰكِنْ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَسْخَطَ آبَاؤُنَا إِلَٰهَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ […] ‎

        walākin baʕda ʔan ʔasḵaṭa ʔābāʔunā ʔilāha s-samāʔi […]

        But after our fathers made the god of Heaven angry […]

2. (countable) a high covering; ceiling, canopy, vault
   • ‏وَقَالَتْ سَمَاءُ الْبَيْتِ فَوْقَكَ مُخْلَقٌ // وَلَمَّا تَيَسَّرَ ٱجْتِلَاءُ الرَّكائِبِ‎

     waqālat samāʔu l-bayti fawqaka muḵlaqun // walammā tayassara jtilāʔu r-rakāʔibi

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   1. the firmament, vault of heaven, welkin

      Synonym: رَقِيع‎ (raqīʕ)

      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 22:15:

        ‏مَن كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَنْ لَنْ يَنْصُرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْآخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ لْيَقْطَعْ فَلْيَنْظُرْ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيظُ‎

        man kāna yaẓunnu ʔan lan yanṣurahu l-lahu fī d-dunyā wal-ʔāḵirati falyamdud bisababin ʔilā s-samāʔi ṯumma lyaqṭaʕ falyanẓur hal yuḏhibanna kayduhu mā yaḡīẓu

        Let whoever thinks that Allah will not grant him victory in this life and the last stretch a rope up to the vault then cut it. Would such a scheme make what is [so] infuriating go away?

Declension

Declension of noun سَمَاء (samāʔ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَمَاء samāʔ	السَّمَاء‎ as-samāʔ	سَمَاء samāʔ
Nominative	سَمَاءٌ samāʔun	السَّمَاءُ‎ as-samāʔu	سَمَاءُ samāʔu
Accusative	سَمَاءً samāʔan	السَّمَاءَ‎ as-samāʔa	سَمَاءَ samāʔa
Genitive	سَمَاءٍ samāʔin	السَّمَاءِ‎ as-samāʔi	سَمَاءِ samāʔi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَمَاوَيْن‎‎; سَمَاءَيْن‎ samāwayn‎; samāʔayn	السَّمَاوَيْن‎‎; السَّمَاءَيْن‎ as-samāwayn‎; as-samāʔayn	سَمَاوَيْ‎‎; سَمَاءَيْ‎ samāway‎; samāʔay
Nominative	سَمَاوَانِ‎‎; سَمَاءَانِ‎ samāwāni‎; samāʔāni	السَّمَاوَانِ‎‎; السَّمَاءَانِ‎ as-samāwāni‎; as-samāʔāni	سَمَاوَا‎‎; سَمَاءَا‎ samāwā‎; samāʔā
Accusative	سَمَاوَيْنِ‎‎; سَمَاءَيْنِ‎ samāwayni‎; samāʔayni	السَّمَاوَيْنِ‎‎; السَّمَاءَيْنِ‎ as-samāwayni‎; as-samāʔayni	سَمَاوَيْ‎‎; سَمَاءَيْ‎ samāway‎; samāʔay
Genitive	سَمَاوَيْنِ‎‎; سَمَاءَيْنِ‎ samāwayni‎; samāʔayni	السَّمَاوَيْنِ‎‎; السَّمَاءَيْنِ‎ as-samāwayni‎; as-samāʔayni	سَمَاوَيْ‎‎; سَمَاءَيْ‎ samāway‎; samāʔay
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَمَاوَات‎ samāwāt	السَّمَاوَات‎ as-samāwāt	سَمَاوَات‎ samāwāt
Nominative	سَمَاوَاتٌ‎ samāwātun	السَّمَاوَاتُ‎ as-samāwātu	سَمَاوَاتُ‎ samāwātu
Accusative	سَمَاوَاتٍ‎ samāwātin	السَّمَاوَاتِ‎ as-samāwāti	سَمَاوَاتِ‎ samāwāti
Genitive	سَمَاوَاتٍ‎ samāwātin	السَّمَاوَاتِ‎ as-samāwāti	سَمَاوَاتِ‎ samāwāti

Descendants

• Algerian Arabic: سما‎ (smā)
• Egyptian Arabic: سما‎ (sama)
• Gulf Arabic: سما‎ (sima)
• Hijazi Arabic: سما‎ (sama)
• Maltese: sema
• Moroccan Arabic: سما‎ (smā)
• South Levantine Arabic: سما‎ (sama)
• Tunisian Arabic: سما‎ (smā)