فتى

فتى

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-West Semitic *pataw- (“to seduce, to beguile”), the young not only so called because they are easily persuaded, as illustrated by Semitic-borrowed Old Armenian տղայ (tłay) and երախայ (eraxay), which refer to the child and the simpleton at the same time, but in particular referring to the sexual prurience of adult-state humans, as that verb primarily bore a literal as well as a saucy meaning “to penetrate, to jook”—hence Tigre ፈታ (fäta) and Ge'ez ፈተወ (fätäwä), Tigrinya ፈተወ (fätäwä) mean “to love”, as in being attracted by the sex.

For similar semantic direction and range, see also م ن ي‎ (m-n-y) / م ن و‎ (m-n-w) meaning in the base stem “to tempt; to afflict, to make suffer”, form II “to rouse desire or hope in”, form V “to desire”, well known, and finally specifically in Akkadian 𒈨𒉡𒌝 (menûm, “to love”), but also in Arabic مَنِيّ‎ (maniyy, “what is discharged in ejaculation”). A parallel case of a particular age of man having been named in accordance with such reflections is غُلَام‎ (ḡulām, “boy”) from غَلِمَ‎ (ḡalima, “to be in rut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.tan/

Noun

فَتًى • (fatan) m (dual فَتَيَان‎ (fatayān) or فَتَوَان‎ (fatawān), plural فِتْيَان‎ (fityān) or فِتْيَة‎ (fitya) or فُتُوّ‎ (futuww) or فُتِيّ‎ (futiyy), feminine فَتَاة‎ (fatāh))

1. male adolescent, youth, juvenile
2. male servant
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 18:62:

     ‏فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هٰذَا نَصَبًا‎

     fa-lammā jāwazā qāla li-fatāhu ʾātinā ḡadāʾanā laqad laqīnā min safarinā hāḏā naṣaban

     So when they had passed beyond it, he said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, much fatigue."

Declension

Declension of noun فَتًى (fatan)

Singular	singular in ـًى (-an)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَتَى fatā	الْفَتَى‎ al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
Nominative	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى‎ al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
Accusative	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى‎ al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
Genitive	فَتًى fatan	الْفَتَى‎ al-fatā	فَتَى fatā
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَتَيَيْن‎‎; فَتَوَيْن‎ fatayayn‎; fatawayn	الْفَتَيَيْن‎‎; الْفَتَوَيْن‎ al-fatayayn‎; al-fatawayn	فَتَيَيْ‎‎; فَتَوَيْ‎ fatayay‎; fataway
Nominative	فَتَيَانِ‎‎; فَتَوَانِ‎ fatayāni‎; fatawāni	الْفَتَيَانِ‎‎; الْفَتَوَانِ‎ al-fatayāni‎; al-fatawāni	فَتَيَا‎‎; فَتَوَا‎ fatayā‎; fatawā
Accusative	فَتَيَيْنِ‎‎; فَتَوَيْنِ‎ fatayayni‎; fatawayni	الْفَتَيَيْنِ‎‎; الْفَتَوَيْنِ‎ al-fatayayni‎; al-fatawayni	فَتَيَيْ‎‎; فَتَوَيْ‎ fatayay‎; fataway
Genitive	فَتَيَيْنِ‎‎; فَتَوَيْنِ‎ fatayayni‎; fatawayni	الْفَتَيَيْنِ‎‎; الْفَتَوَيْنِ‎ al-fatayayni‎; al-fatawayni	فَتَيَيْ‎‎; فَتَوَيْ‎ fatayay‎; fataway
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فِتْيَان‎‎; فِتْيَة‎‎; فُتُوّ‎‎; فُتِي‎ fityān‎; fitya‎; futuww‎; futī	الْفِتْيَان‎‎; الْفِتْيَة‎‎; الْفُتُوّ‎‎; الْفُتِي‎ al-fityān‎; al-fitya‎; al-futuww‎; al-futī	فِتْيَان‎‎; فِتْيَة‎‎; فُتُوّ‎‎; فُتِي‎ fityān‎; fityat‎; futuww‎; futī
Nominative	فِتْيَانٌ‎‎; فِتْيَةٌ‎‎; فُتُوٌّ‎‎; فُتِيٌّ‎ fityānun‎; fityatun‎; futuwwun‎; futiyyun	الْفِتْيَانُ‎‎; الْفِتْيَةُ‎‎; الْفُتُوُّ‎‎; الْفُتِيُّ‎ al-fityānu‎; al-fityatu‎; al-futuwwu‎; al-futiyyu	فِتْيَانُ‎‎; فِتْيَةُ‎‎; فُتُوُّ‎‎; فُتِيُّ‎ fityānu‎; fityatu‎; futuwwu‎; futiyyu
Accusative	فِتْيَانًا‎‎; فِتْيَةً‎‎; فُتُوًّا‎‎; فُتِيًّا‎ fityānan‎; fityatan‎; futuwwan‎; futiyyan	الْفِتْيَانَ‎‎; الْفِتْيَةَ‎‎; الْفُتُوَّ‎‎; الْفُتِيَّ‎ al-fityāna‎; al-fityata‎; al-futuwwa‎; al-futiyya	فِتْيَانَ‎‎; فِتْيَةَ‎‎; فُتُوَّ‎‎; فُتِيَّ‎ fityāna‎; fityata‎; futuwwa‎; futiyya
Genitive	فِتْيَانٍ‎‎; فِتْيَةٍ‎‎; فُتُوٍّ‎‎; فُتِيٍّ‎ fityānin‎; fityatin‎; futuwwin‎; futiyyin	الْفِتْيَانِ‎‎; الْفِتْيَةِ‎‎; الْفُتُوِّ‎‎; الْفُتِيِّ‎ al-fityāni‎; al-fityati‎; al-futuwwi‎; al-futiyyi	فِتْيَانِ‎‎; فِتْيَةِ‎‎; فُتُوِّ‎‎; فُتِيِّ‎ fityāni‎; fityati‎; futuwwi‎; futiyyi

Derived terms

• فُتَيّ‎ (futayy) (diminutive)
• فُتُوَّة‎ (futuwwa, “youth; chivalry, generosity”)
  • فَتَا‎ (fatā, “to surpass in generosity”)
• فَتِيَ‎ (fatiya, “to be youthful”)
• فَتِيّ‎ (fatiyy, “young”)
• أَفْتَى‎ (ʾaftā, “cadet”)
• فَتَّى‎ (fattā, “to reckon adolescent”)
• تَفَتَّى‎ (tafattā, “to assume likeness to youths”)

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979), “فتو”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN