سيراء

Arabic

Etymology

Borrowed from Aramaic שִׁירָאָה (šērāʾā), שִּׁירָא (šērā, “silk; a kind of silk garment”), ultimately from Chinese 絲 (MC si, “silk”). In Arabic this word has been connected to the root س ي ر (s-y-r) and is thus dubiously glossed by the classical lexicographers as a kind of “striped” garment; also the vocalization سِيَرَاء (siyarāʔ) is a hyper-Arabic fabrication.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siː.raːʔ/

Noun

سِيرَاء or سِيَرَاء • (sīrāʔ or siyarāʔ) f

1. a kind of silk gown
   • 7th century CE, Sunan an-Nasāʾiyy, 48:257:

     رَأَيْتُ عَلَى زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ قَمِيصَ حَرِيرٍ سِيَرَاءَ.

     raʔaytu ʕalā zaynaba binti rasūli l-lahi - ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wasallama - qamīṣa ḥarīrin siyarāʔa.

     I saw Zainab, the daughter of God’s Messenger (ﷺ), wearing a sīraʾ silk shirt.

Declension

Declension of noun سِيرَاء (sīrāʔ)‎; سِيَرَاء (siyarāʔ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سِيرَاء‎; سِيَرَاء sīrāʔ‎; siyarāʔ	السِّيرَاء‎; السِّيَرَاء as-sīrāʔ‎; as-siyarāʔ	سِيرَاء‎; سِيَرَاء sīrāʔ‎; siyarāʔ
Nominative	سِيرَاءٌ‎; سِيَرَاءٌ sīrāʔun‎; siyarāʔun	السِّيرَاءُ‎; السِّيَرَاءُ as-sīrāʔu‎; as-siyarāʔu	سِيرَاءُ‎; سِيَرَاءُ sīrāʔu‎; siyarāʔu
Accusative	سِيرَاءً‎; سِيَرَاءً sīrāʔan‎; siyarāʔan	السِّيرَاءَ‎; السِّيَرَاءَ as-sīrāʔa‎; as-siyarāʔa	سِيرَاءَ‎; سِيَرَاءَ sīrāʔa‎; siyarāʔa
Genitive	سِيرَاءٍ‎; سِيَرَاءٍ sīrāʔin‎; siyarāʔin	السِّيرَاءِ‎; السِّيَرَاءِ as-sīrāʔi‎; as-siyarāʔi	سِيرَاءِ‎; سِيَرَاءِ sīrāʔi‎; siyarāʔi

References

• “سيراء” in Almaany
• “šˀry”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “šyry”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 40–41
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880) De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis‎^[1] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 4–5