زمام

Arabic

Etymology

Probably a culture word, an early borrowing from Aramaic זְמָמָא / ܙܡܳܡܳܐ (zəmāmā, “reins”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zi.maːm/

Noun

زِمَام • (zimām) m (plural أَزِمَّة (ʔazimma))

1. reins
2. (figuratively) power, control, leads, initiative, reins
3. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:) day book, register
4. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:) ground, land

Declension

Declension of noun زِمَام (zimām)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زِمَام zimām	الزِّمَام az-zimām	زِمَام zimām
Nominative	زِمَامٌ zimāmun	الزِّمَامُ az-zimāmu	زِمَامُ zimāmu
Accusative	زِمَامًا zimāman	الزِّمَامَ az-zimāma	زِمَامَ zimāma
Genitive	زِمَامٍ zimāmin	الزِّمَامِ az-zimāmi	زِمَامِ zimāmi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زِمَامَيْن zimāmayn	الزِّمَامَيْن az-zimāmayn	زِمَامَيْ zimāmay
Nominative	زِمَامَانِ zimāmāni	الزِّمَامَانِ az-zimāmāni	زِمَامَا zimāmā
Accusative	زِمَامَيْنِ zimāmayni	الزِّمَامَيْنِ az-zimāmayni	زِمَامَيْ zimāmay
Genitive	زِمَامَيْنِ zimāmayni	الزِّمَامَيْنِ az-zimāmayni	زِمَامَيْ zimāmay
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَزِمَّة ʔazimma	الْأَزِمَّة al-ʔazimma	أَزِمَّة ʔazimmat
Nominative	أَزِمَّةٌ ʔazimmatun	الْأَزِمَّةُ al-ʔazimmatu	أَزِمَّةُ ʔazimmatu
Accusative	أَزِمَّةً ʔazimmatan	الْأَزِمَّةَ al-ʔazimmata	أَزِمَّةَ ʔazimmata
Genitive	أَزِمَّةٍ ʔazimmatin	الْأَزِمَّةِ al-ʔazimmati	أَزِمَّةِ ʔazimmati

Derived terms

• زَمَّ (zamma, “to tie, to fix, to bind”), present يَزُمُّ (yazummu)
• زَمَّمَ (zammama, “to bridle”)
• اِنْزَمَّ (inzamma, “to become tied, to become fixed, to become bound”)

Descendants

• → Afar: dumaam
• → Amharic: ዝማም (zəmam)
• → Ge'ez: ዝማም (zəmam)
• → Ottoman Turkish: زمام (zimam)
  • Turkish: zimam
• → Saho: zumaam
• → Somali: dumaam
• → Tigre: ዝማም (zəmam)
• → Tigrinya: ዝማም (zəmam)

References

• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 638
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 41

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic زِمَام (zimām, “reins”).

Noun

زمام • (zimam) (plural ازمه (ezimme))

1. rein, a strap or rope attached to a bridle or bit

Derived terms

• زمامدار (zimamdar, “person who holds the reins”)

Descendants

• Turkish: zimam

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “zimam1”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 5485
• Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “zimâm”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎^[2] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 1428
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “زمام”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[3], Constantinople: Mihran, page 646
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Habena”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[4], Vienna, column 680
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “زمام”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[5], Vienna, column 2462
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “زمام”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[6], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1012