ص ف ر

See also: صفر‎ and صقر‎

Arabic

Etymology

The sense of yellow derives from the fading of more vibrant greenness in vegetation; unrelated to the false cognate Persian *زرپران‎ (*zar-parân, “saffron”, literally “with golden leaves”) which is borrowed as زَعْفَرَان‎ (zaʿfarān, “saffron”).

Root

ص ف ر • (ṣ-f-r)

  1. Related to emptiness
  2. Related to losing color; to become pale or pallid
  3. Related to the color yellow, the color of dead herbage

Derived terms
  • Form I: صَفَرَ‎ (ṣafara)
    • Active participle: صَافِر‎ (ṣāfir)
    • Passive participle: مَصْفُور‎ (maṣfūr)
  • Form I: صَفِرَ‎ (ṣafira)
    • Active participle: صَافِر‎ (ṣāfir)
    • Passive participle: مَصْفُور‎ (maṣfūr)
  • Form II: صَفَّرَ‎ (ṣaffara)
    • Verbal noun: تَصْفِير‎ (taṣfīr)
    • Active participle: مُصَفِّر‎ (muṣaffir)
    • Passive participle: مُصَفَّر‎ (muṣaffar)
  • Form IV: أَصْفَرَ‎ (ʾaṣfara)
    • Verbal noun: إِصْفَار‎ (ʾiṣfār)
    • Active participle: مُصْفِر‎ (muṣfir)
    • Passive participle: مُصْفَر‎ (muṣfar)
  • Form IX: اِصْفَرَّ‎ (iṣfarra)
    • Verbal noun: اِصْفِرَار‎ (iṣfirār)
    • Active participle: مُصْفَرّ‎ (muṣfarr)
  • Form XI: اِصْفَارَّ‎ (iṣfārra)
    • Verbal noun: اِصْفِيرَار‎ (iṣfīrār)
    • Active participle: مُصْفَارّ‎ (muṣfārr)

References
  • The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Clarendon Press, 1989
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