زنا

Root entry · 25 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the act of illicit sexual intercourse (adultery or fornication). It also extends to related concepts like accusation of such acts, being born out of wedlock, and metaphorically to narrowness or constriction.

Derived headwords

زَنَىverb

1.
to commit adultery/fornicationboth
The primary meaning of the root, referring to the act of illicit sexual intercourse.

زِنَاnoun

1.
adultery, fornicationboth
The act of illicit sexual intercourse, often pronounced with a short 'a' (maqsur). This is the most common term for the act.
2.
adultery, fornication (long)classical
A variant pronunciation of the noun for illicit sexual intercourse, with a long 'a' (mamdud), often associated with specific dialects.

الزنا يمد ويقصر — Adultery/fornication can be pronounced with a short or long vowel.

ولا تقربوا الزنى — And do not approach adultery/fornication.

زَنَى، يزْنِيverb

1.
to commit adultery/fornicationboth
The present tense conjugation of the verb for illicit sexual intercourse.

زَانَى، يُزَانِيverb

1.
to commit adultery/fornicationboth
A verb form (Form III) indicating the act of adultery or fornication, often implying repeated action or interaction.
2.
to seek adultery/fornicationclassical
To engage in or seek out illicit sexual relations.

وزانى مزاناة وزناء — And he committed adultery/fornication (Form III) with repeated action or seeking.

مُزَانَاةnoun

1.
adultery/fornicationboth
The masdar (verbal noun) of Form III, referring to the act of adultery or fornication, often implying repeated or sought-after action.

وزانى مزاناة وزناء — And he committed adultery/fornication (Form III) with repeated action or seeking.

زَنَاءnoun

1.
adultery/fornication (long)classical
A variant masdar (verbal noun) for adultery/fornication, pronounced with a long 'a', often associated with specific dialects.

وزانى مزاناة وزناء — And he committed adultery/fornication (Form III) with repeated action or seeking.

زَنَاءَةnoun

1.
apeclassical
A term for an ape, possibly due to a perceived association with promiscuity or a metaphorical extension.

وتسمى القردة زناءة — And the female ape is called zanāʾah.

زِنْوِيّadjective

1.
related to adultery/fornicationclassical
An adjective derived from the short-vowel form of 'zina', used for attribution or relation to the act.

زِنَائِيّadjective

1.
related to adultery/fornicationclassical
An adjective derived from the long-vowel form of 'zina', used for attribution or relation to the act.

والنسبة إلى الممدود زنائي — And the attribution to the long-vowel form is zināʾiyy.

تَزْنِيَةverb

1.
to accuse of adultery/fornicationclassical
Form II verb meaning to attribute or accuse someone of adultery or fornication.

وزناه تزنية: نسبه إلى الزنا — And 'zanāhu tazniyah' means to attribute it (accusation) to adultery/fornication.

زَانِيadjective

1.
adulterer, fornicatorboth
Active participle of the verb 'zana', referring to someone who commits adultery or fornication.

قسطنطينية الزانية — Constantinople the adulteress (metaphorically, its people).

ابن زِنْيَةnoun

1.
illegitimate childboth
A child born out of wedlock, literally 'son of fornication'. The 'yah' ending is common.

وهو ابن زنية — And he is an illegitimate child.

زِنْيَةnoun

1.
illegitimate childboth
A term for an illegitimate child, often pronounced with a fatha on the 'zayn'.
2.
youngest childclassical
A secondary meaning referring to the last or youngest child of a man or woman, similar to 'ajazah'.

فقالوا: نحن بنو الزنية — So they said: 'We are the sons of illegitimacy'.

زِنْيَة (بالفتح والكسر)noun

1.
illegitimate childboth
A term for an illegitimate child, with variations in pronunciation (fatha or kasra on the 'zayn').
2.
youngest childclassical
A secondary meaning referring to the last or youngest child, with pronunciation variations.

فقالوا: نحن بنو الزنية — So they said: 'We are the sons of illegitimacy'.

زِنْيَة (لُغْيَة)noun

1.
illegitimate childclassical
A term for an illegitimate child, considered a 'lughyah' (a word of uncertain origin or usage).

زِنْيَة (لِغَيْرِ رُشْدَة)noun

1.
illegitimate childclassical
An illegitimate child, contrasted with a child born of a legitimate union ('rushdah').

زَنَاء (القصير)noun

1.
short personclassical
A term for someone who is short in stature.

والزناء: القصير — And 'al-zanāʾ' means the short one.

زَنَاء (الضيق)noun

1.
narrowness, constrictionclassical
The original meaning of the root, referring to a state of tightness or narrowness.

وأصل الزناء الضيق — And the origin of 'zanāʾ' is narrowness.

زَنَاء (مدافع للبول)noun

1.
needing to urinateclassical
Metaphorically used in a hadith to describe someone experiencing the urge to urinate, implying a state of physical discomfort or constriction.

لا يصلين أحدكم وهو زناء — Let none of you pray while he is needing to urinate.

زَنَا، يزْنُوverb

1.
to be narrow, constrictedclassical
A verb meaning to be narrow or constricted, particularly used for a place.

وزنا الموضع يزنو: ضاق — And 'zanā al-mawḍiʿ yaznū' means the place became narrow.

أزْنَأadjective

1.
narrowestclassical
Superlative form, meaning the narrowest or most constricted, used in a hadith to refer to the most desirable aspects of the world.

كان النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، لا يحب من الدنيا إلا أزنأها — The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not love from this world except its narrowest (most desirable/least burdensome).

زِنِيّadjective

1.
narrowclassical
An adjective meaning narrow or tight, used for containers or spaces.

ووعاء زني: ضيق — And a 'zinī' vessel: narrow.

زِنْءnoun

1.
narrow passage in a mountainclassical
A noun referring to a narrow passage or defile, especially in a mountain.

والزنء: الزنو في الجبل — And 'al-zinʾ' is the narrow passage in the mountain.

زَنَى عَلَيْهِverb

1.
to narrow down on someoneclassical
To constrict or put pressure on someone, metaphorically or literally.

زنى على أبيه ثم قتله — He narrowed down on his father (oppressed him) and then killed him.

بَنُو زِنْيَةname

1.
Banu Zinyah tribeclassical
A proper name for a tribe, possibly named after a progenitor or a characteristic.

وبنو زنية: حي — And 'Banu Zinyah': a tribe.

Parallel reading

الزنا يمد ويقصر، زنى الرجل يزني زنى، مقصور، وزناء ممدود، وكذلك المرأة.

Adultery/fornication can be pronounced with a short or long vowel; a man commits adultery/fornication (yaznī) with the short vowel (maqsur), and 'zanāʾ' with the long vowel (mamdud), and likewise a woman.

وزانى مزاناة وزناء، بالمد؛ عن اللحياني، وكذلك المرأة أيضا؛

And he committed adultery/fornication (Form III) with repeated action or seeking, with the long vowel; according to Al-Lihyani, and likewise the woman too;

أما الزناء فإني لست قاربه، ... والمال بيني وبين الخمر نصفان

As for adultery/fornication (long vowel), I will not approach it, ... and wealth is divided equally between me and wine.

والمرأة تزاني مزاناة وزناء أي تباغي.

And the woman commits adultery/fornication (Form III) with repeated action or seeking, meaning she seeks it.

الزنى، مقصور، لغة أهل الحجاز.

'Al-zinā', short vowel, is the dialect of the people of Hijaz.

قال الله تعالى: ولا تقربوا الزنى ، بالقصر،

Allah the Almighty said: And do not approach adultery/fornication, with the short vowel,

والنسبة إلى المقصور زنوي، والزناء ممدود لغة بني تميم؛

And the attribution to the short-vowel form is 'zinwiyy', and 'al-zanāʾ' (long vowel) is the dialect of Banu Tamim;

قال الفرزدق: أبا حاضر، من يزن يعرف زناؤه، ...

Al-Farazdaq said: O Aba Hazir, whoever knows him knows his adultery/fornication (long vowel), ...

ومثله للجعدي: كانت فريضة ما تقول، كما ... كان الزناء فريضة الرجم

And similar to it is from Al-Ja'di: What you say was an obligation, just as ... adultery/fornication (long vowel) was an obligation of stoning.

والنسبة إلى الممدود زنائي.

And the attribution to the long-vowel form is 'zināʾiyy'.

وزناه تزنية: نسبه إلى الزنا وقال له يا زاني.

And 'zanāhu tazniyah': to attribute it (accusation) to adultery/fornication and to say to him, 'O adulterer/fornicator'.

ذكر قسطنطينية الزانية، يريد الزاني أهلها كقوله تعالى: وكم قصمنا من قرية كانت ظالمة؛ أي ظالمة الأهل.

The mention of Constantinople the adulteress (Zaniyah), meaning its people were adulterers (Zāni), like Allah's saying: And how many a town We destroyed that was unjust; meaning, its people were unjust.

وقد زانى المرأة مزاناة وزناء.

And he committed adultery/fornication (Form III) with the woman, with repeated action or seeking.

قيل لابنة الخس ما أزناك؟ قالت: قرب الوساد وطول السواد؛

It was said to the daughter of Al-Khus, 'What made you commit adultery/fornication?' She said: 'Proximity of the pillow and length of the night (darkness)'.

وهو ابن زنية وزنية، والفتح أعلى، أي ابن زنا، وهو نقيض قولك لرشدة ورشدة.

And he is 'ibn zin'yah' and 'ibn zin'yah', and the fatha is more common, meaning 'son of fornication', and it is the opposite of your saying 'ibn rushdah' and 'ibn rushdah'.

فقالوا: نحن بنو الزنية فقال: بل أنتم بنو الرشدة.

So they said: 'We are the sons of illegitimacy (Banu al-Zinyah)', and he said: 'Rather, you are the sons of legitimacy (Banu al-Rushdah)'.

والزنية، بالفتح والكسر: آخر ولد الرجل والمرأة كالعجزة،

And 'al-zin'yah', with fatha and kasra: the last child of a man and woman, like 'al-'ajazah' (the elderly one).

وإنما قال لهم النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، بل أنتم بنو الرشدة نفيا لهم عما يوهمه لفظ الزنية من الزنا، والرشدة أفصح اللغتين.

And the Prophet, peace be upon him, only said to them, 'Rather, you are the sons of legitimacy (Banu al-Rushdah)' to negate from them what the word 'al-zin'yah' might imply of fornication, and 'al-rushdah' is the more eloquent of the two languages.

ويقال للولد إذا كان من زنا: هو لزنية.

And it is said of a child, if he is from fornication: he is 'li-zin'yah'.

وفي المثل: لا حصنها حصن ولا الزنا زنا

And in the proverb: Neither her fortress protected her, nor did the adultery/fornication count as adultery/fornication.

وتسمى القردة زناءة، والزناء: القصير؛

And the female ape is called 'zanāʾah', and 'al-zanāʾ': the short one;

وتولج في الظل الزناء رؤوسها، ... وتحسبها هيما، وهن صحائح

And they extend into the shade, their short heads, ... and you think they are sick, but they are healthy.

وأصل الزناء الضيق، ومنه الحديث: لا يصلين أحدكم وهو زناء أي مدافع للبول؛

And the origin of 'zanāʾ' is narrowness, and from it is the hadith: Let none of you pray while he is 'zanāʾ', meaning holding back urine;

وإذا بصرت إلى زناء قعرها ... غبراء مظلمة من الأحفار

And when you look into the narrowness of its bottom ... dusty and dark from the pits.

وزنا الموضع يزنو: ضاق، لغة في يزنأ.

And 'zanā al-mawḍiʿ yaznū': it became narrow, a dialectal variant of 'yazna'.

كان النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، لا يحب من الدنيا إلا أزنأها أي أضيقها.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not love from this world except its narrowest (most desirable/least burdensome).

ووعاء زني: ضيق؛ كذا رواه ابن الأعرابي بغير همز.

And a 'zinī' vessel: narrow; thus narrated Ibn Al-A'rabi without hamza.

والزنء: الزنو في الجبل.

And 'al-zinʾ': the narrow passage in the mountain.

لاهم، إن الحرث بن جبله. ... زنى على أبيه ثم قتله

O Allah, indeed Al-Harith ibn Jubaylah. ... He narrowed down on his father (oppressed him) and then killed him.

وبنو زنية: حي.

And 'Banu Zinyah': a tribe.