صاع

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic, cognate with Ge'ez ጽዋዕ (ṣəwwāʿ, “goblet”) – whence صُوَاع (ṣuwāʕ, “goblet”) –, Tigrinya ጽዋዕ (ṣəwaʿ, “bowl”), Tigre ጽዋእ (ṣəwaʾ, “a cubic measure; cup, bowl”), Gurage ጥዋ (ṭəwa, “a cubic measure”), Amharic ጽዋ (ṣəwwa), ጥዋ (ṭəwwa, “a cubic measure; cup, chalice”), Aramaic צעא / ܨܳܥܳܐ (ṣaʿā, “bowl”), Ugaritic 𐎕𐎓 (ṣʿ, “platter”). Juxtaposable with Hebrew סְאָה (seʾah, “seah, a cubic measure”), Aramaic סַאתַא / ܣܰܐܬܐ (saʾṯā, “a cubic measure”), apparently a separate borrowing from a non-Semitic source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤaːʕ/

Noun

صَاع • (ṣāʕ) m (plural أَصْوُع (ʔaṣwuʕ) or أَصْوَاع (ʔaṣwāʕ) or صِيعَان (ṣīʕān))

1. (obsolete) a cubic measure
   1. (the ṣāʿ of the Prophet) 4.2125 liters
   2. (Morocco until 1923) 0.056 cubic meters

Declension

Declension of noun صَاع (ṣāʕ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَاع ṣāʕ	الصَّاع aṣ-ṣāʕ	صَاع ṣāʕ
Nominative	صَاعٌ ṣāʕun	الصَّاعُ aṣ-ṣāʕu	صَاعُ ṣāʕu
Accusative	صَاعًا ṣāʕan	الصَّاعَ aṣ-ṣāʕa	صَاعَ ṣāʕa
Genitive	صَاعٍ ṣāʕin	الصَّاعِ aṣ-ṣāʕi	صَاعِ ṣāʕi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَاعَيْن ṣāʕayn	الصَّاعَيْن aṣ-ṣāʕayn	صَاعَيْ ṣāʕay
Nominative	صَاعَانِ ṣāʕāni	الصَّاعَانِ aṣ-ṣāʕāni	صَاعَا ṣāʕā
Accusative	صَاعَيْنِ ṣāʕayni	الصَّاعَيْنِ aṣ-ṣāʕayni	صَاعَيْ ṣāʕay
Genitive	صَاعَيْنِ ṣāʕayni	الصَّاعَيْنِ aṣ-ṣāʕayni	صَاعَيْ ṣāʕay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَصْوُع‎; أَصْوَاع‎; صِيعَان ʔaṣwuʕ‎; ʔaṣwāʕ‎; ṣīʕān	الْأَصْوُع‎; الْأَصْوَاع‎; الصِّيعَان al-ʔaṣwuʕ‎; al-ʔaṣwāʕ‎; aṣ-ṣīʕān	أَصْوُع‎; أَصْوَاع‎; صِيعَان ʔaṣwuʕ‎; ʔaṣwāʕ‎; ṣīʕān
Nominative	أَصْوُعٌ‎; أَصْوَاعٌ‎; صِيعَانٌ ʔaṣwuʕun‎; ʔaṣwāʕun‎; ṣīʕānun	الْأَصْوُعُ‎; الْأَصْوَاعُ‎; الصِّيعَانُ al-ʔaṣwuʕu‎; al-ʔaṣwāʕu‎; aṣ-ṣīʕānu	أَصْوُعُ‎; أَصْوَاعُ‎; صِيعَانُ ʔaṣwuʕu‎; ʔaṣwāʕu‎; ṣīʕānu
Accusative	أَصْوُعًا‎; أَصْوَاعًا‎; صِيعَانًا ʔaṣwuʕan‎; ʔaṣwāʕan‎; ṣīʕānan	الْأَصْوُعَ‎; الْأَصْوَاعَ‎; الصِّيعَانَ al-ʔaṣwuʕa‎; al-ʔaṣwāʕa‎; aṣ-ṣīʕāna	أَصْوُعَ‎; أَصْوَاعَ‎; صِيعَانَ ʔaṣwuʕa‎; ʔaṣwāʕa‎; ṣīʕāna
Genitive	أَصْوُعٍ‎; أَصْوَاعٍ‎; صِيعَانٍ ʔaṣwuʕin‎; ʔaṣwāʕin‎; ṣīʕānin	الْأَصْوُعِ‎; الْأَصْوَاعِ‎; الصِّيعَانِ al-ʔaṣwuʕi‎; al-ʔaṣwāʕi‎; aṣ-ṣīʕāni	أَصْوُعِ‎; أَصْوَاعِ‎; صِيعَانِ ʔaṣwuʕi‎; ʔaṣwāʕi‎; ṣīʕāni

Derived terms

• رَدَّ لَهُ الصَّاعَ صَاعَيْنِ (radda lahu ṣ-ṣāʕa ṣāʕayni)

Descendants

• Maltese: siegħ

References

• “sˀh”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “sˀṭn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Cardarelli, François (2003) Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Their SI Equivalences and Origins, London: Springer, →ISBN, page 125
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 566
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 55
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 131