عامة
Arabic
| Root |
|---|
| ع م م (ʿ-m-m) |
Etymology
Derived from the feminine form of active participle of the verb عَمَّ (ʿamma).
Noun
عَامَّة • (ʿāmma) f (plural عَوَامّ (ʿawāmm))
- (uncountable, construct) the major or most general part (of), the majority or generality (of); most (of), most
- Synonyms: أَكْثَر (ʾakṯar, “the majority (of)”), جُلّ (jull, “most of”), أَغْلَب (ʾaḡlab, “the more overwhelming part (of)”), مُعْظَم (muʿẓam, “the greater part (of)”)
- تِلْكَ إِرَادَةُ عَامَّةِ ٱلشَّعْبِ
- tilka ʾirādatu ʿāmmati š-šaʿbi
- This is the will of the majority of the people!
- عَامَّةُ ٱلنَّاسِ يُرِيدُونَ هٰذَا
- ʿāmmatu n-nāsi yurīdūna hāḏā
- Most people want that.
- (collective, definite or construct, derogatory) the people who have not gone through moral, theological, and/or philosophical instruction and training or who are oblivious to mysterious, esoteric, or occult knowledge; the laity; the common unlearned people, the populace, the hoi polloi, the multitude
- Antonyms: خَاصَّة (ḵāṣṣa, “the few; the clergy; the elite”), فَلَاسِفَة (falāsifa, “the philosphers”), عُلَمَاء (ʿulamāʾ, “the theologians; the clergy; the sages”), مُثَقَّفُون (muṯaqqafūn, “the educated and cultured; the intellegentsia”)
- دَعْكَ مِنَ اَلْعَامَّةِ ― daʿka mina l-ʿāmmati ― Ignore the many.
- رَاَيْتُ عَامَّةَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَخَوَاصَّهُمْ
- raaytu ʿāmmata n-nāsi waḵawāṣṣahum
- I saw the commoners and the intellectuals
- عَوَامّ الشَّعْبِ ― ʿawāmm aš-šaʿbi ― the [unlearned] laymen of the people
- (collective, definite or construct, derogatory) the people or sects thought to be like the laity in their simple-mindedness, ignorance, or numerousness; simpletons
- اَلْعَامَّة مِنَ الْمُتَفَلْسِفَة
- al-ʿāmma(t) mina l-mutafalsifa
- the simpletons among the would-be philosphers
- (countable, rare) a raft
Declension
| Singular | singular triptote in ـَة (-a) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | عَامَّة ʿāmma | الْعَامَّة al-ʿāmma | عَامَّة ʿāmmat |
| Nominative | عَامَّةٌ ʿāmmatun | الْعَامَّةُ al-ʿāmmatu | عَامَّةُ ʿāmmatu |
| Accusative | عَامَّةً ʿāmmatan | الْعَامَّةَ al-ʿāmmata | عَامَّةَ ʿāmmata |
| Genitive | عَامَّةٍ ʿāmmatin | الْعَامَّةِ al-ʿāmmati | عَامَّةِ ʿāmmati |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | عَامَّتَيْن ʿāmmatayn | الْعَامَّتَيْن al-ʿāmmatayn | عَامَّتَيْ ʿāmmatay |
| Nominative | عَامَّتَانِ ʿāmmatāni | الْعَامَّتَانِ al-ʿāmmatāni | عَامَّتَا ʿāmmatā |
| Accusative | عَامَّتَيْنِ ʿāmmatayni | الْعَامَّتَيْنِ al-ʿāmmatayni | عَامَّتَيْ ʿāmmatay |
| Genitive | عَامَّتَيْنِ ʿāmmatayni | الْعَامَّتَيْنِ al-ʿāmmatayni | عَامَّتَيْ ʿāmmatay |
| Plural | basic broken plural diptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | عَوَامّ ʿawāmm | الْعَوَامّ al-ʿawāmm | عَوَامّ ʿawāmm |
| Nominative | عَوَامُّ ʿawāmmu | الْعَوَامُّ al-ʿawāmmu | عَوَامُّ ʿawāmmu |
| Accusative | عَوَامَّ ʿawāmma | الْعَوَامَّ al-ʿawāmma | عَوَامَّ ʿawāmma |
| Genitive | عَوَامَّ ʿawāmma | الْعَوَامِّ al-ʿawāmmi | عَوَامِّ ʿawāmmi |
Derived terms
- عَامِّيّ (ʿāmmiyy)
Adverb
عَامَّةً • (ʿāmmatan)
- generally
- Synonym: عُمُومًا (ʿumūman)
- Antonym: خَاصَّةً (ḵāṣṣatan, “especially”)
- altogether, entirely
- Synonym: جَمِيعًا (jamīʿan, “together; all”)
Usage notes
In its numerating sense, the word simply denotes "the general, widespread majority" (as opposed to those who are simply numerically fewer) or, more specifically, "the public". However, the pejorative uses are so predominant that it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether the reference to the higher numbers implies disparagement or not. Blunter demeaning often pivots on lack of knowledge, be it moral, religious, and theological, philosophical, or secular (that is, non-religious), hence their being visualized as a class of multitudes that is respectively contrasted with the اَلْخَاصَة (al-ḵāṣa, “the theologically and/or philosophically erudite; the occultists”); with اَلْفَلَاسِفَة (al-falāsifa, “the philosphers”); and, more recently, with اَلْمُثَقَّفُون (al-muṯaqqafūn, “the intelligentsia”). By analogy, the word is very commonly found in sectarian polemics, where it centralizes the purported affectation of knowledge of the ideological rivals.
Adjective
عَامَّة • (ʿāmma) f
- feminine singular of عَامّ (ʿāmm)
References
- Lane, Edward William (1863), “عامة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate
- Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884), “عامة”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary, London: W.H. Allen