صف

Arabic

Etymology 1

Of the root ص ف ف (ṣ-f-f). Potentially an Aramaic borrowing, doublet of ضَفَّ (ḍaffa, “to push, to throng, to jam, to collect together”), the cognate of which is attested in the passive participle as Jewish Babylonian Aramaic צְפִיפ (ṣəp̄īp̄, “crowded, pushed into”), while the noun is also found as Jewish Babylonian Aramaic צַפָּא (ṣappā, “row”), a relative of which would be Jewish Palestinian Aramaic צפד (ṣfd, “to weave”), as this meaning is present in Arabic in an extended root Arabic ضَفَرَ (ḍafara, “to weave, to plait”), though the example of عَصًا (ʕaṣan) shows that rarely Proto-Semitic *ṣ́ inherited as Arabic ص (ṣ) is possible. Compare the suspicious term صَفَد (ṣafad, “fetter, shackle”), as well as رَفّ (raff, “shelf, a part of furniture where one rows things into”), and صُفَّة (ṣuffa, “bench”) is also a borrowing and possibly related to the root.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤaff/

Noun

صَفّ • (ṣaff) m (plural صُفُوف (ṣufūf))

1. row, line (sequence of people or objects)
2. battle order (arrangement of soldiers in battle)
3. setting in type
4. year, grade, form, rank
5. class

Declension

Declension of noun صَفّ (ṣaff)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَفّ ṣaff	الصَّفّ aṣ-ṣaff	صَفّ ṣaff
Nominative	صَفٌّ ṣaffun	الصَّفُّ aṣ-ṣaffu	صَفُّ ṣaffu
Accusative	صَفًّا ṣaffan	الصَّفَّ aṣ-ṣaffa	صَفَّ ṣaffa
Genitive	صَفٍّ ṣaffin	الصَّفِّ aṣ-ṣaffi	صَفِّ ṣaffi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَفَّيْن ṣaffayn	الصَّفَّيْن aṣ-ṣaffayn	صَفَّيْ ṣaffay
Nominative	صَفَّانِ ṣaffāni	الصَّفَّانِ aṣ-ṣaffāni	صَفَّا ṣaffā
Accusative	صَفَّيْنِ ṣaffayni	الصَّفَّيْنِ aṣ-ṣaffayni	صَفَّيْ ṣaffay
Genitive	صَفَّيْنِ ṣaffayni	الصَّفَّيْنِ aṣ-ṣaffayni	صَفَّيْ ṣaffay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صُفُوف ṣufūf	الصُّفُوف aṣ-ṣufūf	صُفُوف ṣufūf
Nominative	صُفُوفٌ ṣufūfun	الصُّفُوفُ aṣ-ṣufūfu	صُفُوفُ ṣufūfu
Accusative	صُفُوفًا ṣufūfan	الصُّفُوفَ aṣ-ṣufūfa	صُفُوفَ ṣufūfa
Genitive	صُفُوفٍ ṣufūfin	الصُّفُوفِ aṣ-ṣufūfi	صُفُوفِ ṣufūfi

Descendants

• → Maltese: saff
• → Azerbaijani: səff
• → Persian: صف
  • → Dhivehi: ސަފު (safu)
• → Ottoman Turkish: صف
  • → Turkish: saf
• → Swahili: safu
• → Uzbek: saf

Verb

صَفَّ • (ṣaffa) I (non-past يَصُفُّ (yaṣuffu), verbal noun صَفّ (ṣaff))

1. to line up, align
2. to compose, classify
3. to park (a car)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of صَفَّ (I, geminate, a ~ u, full passive (?), verbal noun صَفّ)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						صَفّ ṣaff
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						صَافّ ṣāff
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَصْفُوف maṣfūf
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	صَفَفْتُ ṣafaftu	صَفَفْتَ ṣafafta	صَفَّ ṣaffa		صَفَفْتُمَا ṣafaftumā	صَفَّا ṣaffā		صَفَفْنَا ṣafafnā	صَفَفْتُمْ ṣafaftum	صَفُّوا ṣaffū
	f		صَفَفْتِ ṣafafti	صَفَّتْ ṣaffat			صَفَّتَا ṣaffatā			صَفَفْتُنَّ ṣafaftunna	صَفَفْنَ ṣafafna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَصُفُّ ʔaṣuffu	تَصُفُّ taṣuffu	يَصُفُّ yaṣuffu		تَصُفَّانِ taṣuffāni	يَصُفَّانِ yaṣuffāni		نَصُفُّ naṣuffu	تَصُفُّونَ taṣuffūna	يَصُفُّونَ yaṣuffūna
	f		تَصُفِّينَ taṣuffīna	تَصُفُّ taṣuffu			تَصُفَّانِ taṣuffāni			تَصْفُفْنَ taṣfufna	يَصْفُفْنَ yaṣfufna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَصُفَّ ʔaṣuffa	تَصُفَّ taṣuffa	يَصُفَّ yaṣuffa		تَصُفَّا taṣuffā	يَصُفَّا yaṣuffā		نَصُفَّ naṣuffa	تَصُفُّوا taṣuffū	يَصُفُّوا yaṣuffū
	f		تَصُفِّي taṣuffī	تَصُفَّ taṣuffa			تَصُفَّا taṣuffā			تَصْفُفْنَ taṣfufna	يَصْفُفْنَ yaṣfufna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَصُفَّ, أَصُفِّ, أَصْفُفْ ʔaṣuffa, ʔaṣuffi, ʔaṣfuf	تَصُفَّ, تَصُفِّ, تَصْفُفْ taṣuffa, taṣuffi, taṣfuf	يَصُفَّ, يَصُفِّ, يَصْفُفْ yaṣuffa, yaṣuffi, yaṣfuf		تَصُفَّا taṣuffā	يَصُفَّا yaṣuffā		نَصُفَّ, نَصُفِّ, نَصْفُفْ naṣuffa, naṣuffi, naṣfuf	تَصُفُّوا taṣuffū	يَصُفُّوا yaṣuffū
	f		تَصُفِّي taṣuffī	تَصُفَّ, تَصُفِّ, تَصْفُفْ taṣuffa, taṣuffi, taṣfuf			تَصُفَّا taṣuffā			تَصْفُفْنَ taṣfufna	يَصْفُفْنَ yaṣfufna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		صُفَّ, صُفِّ, اُصْفُفْ ṣuffa, ṣuffi, uṣfuf			صُفَّا ṣuffā				صُفُّوا ṣuffū
	f		صُفِّي ṣuffī							اُصْفُفْنَ uṣfufna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	صُفِفْتُ ṣufiftu	صُفِفْتَ ṣufifta	صُفَّ ṣuffa		صُفِفْتُمَا ṣufiftumā	صُفَّا ṣuffā		صُفِفْنَا ṣufifnā	صُفِفْتُمْ ṣufiftum	صُفُّوا ṣuffū
	f		صُفِفْتِ ṣufifti	صُفَّتْ ṣuffat			صُفَّتَا ṣuffatā			صُفِفْتُنَّ ṣufiftunna	صُفِفْنَ ṣufifna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُصَفُّ ʔuṣaffu	تُصَفُّ tuṣaffu	يُصَفُّ yuṣaffu		تُصَفَّانِ tuṣaffāni	يُصَفَّانِ yuṣaffāni		نُصَفُّ nuṣaffu	تُصَفُّونَ tuṣaffūna	يُصَفُّونَ yuṣaffūna
	f		تُصَفِّينَ tuṣaffīna	تُصَفُّ tuṣaffu			تُصَفَّانِ tuṣaffāni			تُصْفَفْنَ tuṣfafna	يُصْفَفْنَ yuṣfafna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُصَفَّ ʔuṣaffa	تُصَفَّ tuṣaffa	يُصَفَّ yuṣaffa		تُصَفَّا tuṣaffā	يُصَفَّا yuṣaffā		نُصَفَّ nuṣaffa	تُصَفُّوا tuṣaffū	يُصَفُّوا yuṣaffū
	f		تُصَفِّي tuṣaffī	تُصَفَّ tuṣaffa			تُصَفَّا tuṣaffā			تُصْفَفْنَ tuṣfafna	يُصْفَفْنَ yuṣfafna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُصَفَّ, أُصَفِّ, أُصْفَفْ ʔuṣaffa, ʔuṣaffi, ʔuṣfaf	تُصَفَّ, تُصَفِّ, تُصْفَفْ tuṣaffa, tuṣaffi, tuṣfaf	يُصَفَّ, يُصَفِّ, يُصْفَفْ yuṣaffa, yuṣaffi, yuṣfaf		تُصَفَّا tuṣaffā	يُصَفَّا yuṣaffā		نُصَفَّ, نُصَفِّ, نُصْفَفْ nuṣaffa, nuṣaffi, nuṣfaf	تُصَفُّوا tuṣaffū	يُصَفُّوا yuṣaffū
	f		تُصَفِّي tuṣaffī	تُصَفَّ, تُصَفِّ, تُصْفَفْ tuṣaffa, tuṣaffi, tuṣfaf			تُصَفَّا tuṣaffā			تُصْفَفْنَ tuṣfafna	يُصْفَفْنَ yuṣfafna

Etymology 2

Verb

صِفْ • (ṣif) (form I) /sˤif/

1. second-person masculine singular imperative of وَصَفَ (waṣafa)

References

• “ṣpp²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “ṣpd”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “ṣp²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “صف”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “صف”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN, page 603

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ص ف ف
1 term

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤaff/, [sˤɑf]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Arabic صَفَّ (ṣaffa).

Verb

صفّ • (ṣaff) I (present بصفّ (biṣoff))

1. to get in line
2. to park (a vehicle)

   Synonym: ركن (rakan)

Conjugation

Conjugation of صفّّ (ṣaff)
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	صفّّيت (ṣaffēt)	صفّّيت (ṣaffēt)	صفّّ (ṣaff)		صفّّينا (ṣaffēna)	صفّّيتو (ṣaffētu)	صفّّو (ṣaffu)
	f		صفّّيتي (ṣaffēti)	صفّّت (ṣaffat)
present	m	بصفّّ (baṣoff)	بتصفّّ (bitṣoff)	بصفّّ (biṣoff)		منصفّّ (minṣoff)	بتصفّّو (bitṣoffu)	بصفّّو (biṣoffu)
	f		بتصفّّي (bitṣoffi)	بتصفّّ (bitṣoff)
subjunctive	m	اصفّّ (aṣoff)	تصفّّ (tṣoff)	يصفّّ (yṣoff)		نصفّّ (nṣoff)	تصفّّو (tṣoffu)	يصفّّو (yṣoffu)
	f		تصفّّي (tṣoffi)	تصفّّ (tṣoff)
imperative	m		صفّّ (ṣoff)				صفّّو (ṣoffu)
	f		صفّّي (ṣoffi)

Etymology 2

From Arabic صَفّ (ṣaff).

Noun

صفّ • (ṣaff) m (plural صفوف (ṣfūf))

1. line, rank
2. class (at school)