مفتاح

Arabic

Etymology

Tool noun from the verb فَتَحَ (fataḥa, “to open”). Compare Hebrew מַפְתֵּחַ (maftéakh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mif.taːħ/

• Audio:

  (file)

  • (Hijazi) IPA^(key): /muf.taːħ/

Noun

مِفْتَاح • (miftāḥ) m (plural مَفَاتِيح (mafātīḥ) or مَفَاتِح (mafātiḥ))

1. key (to a door)

   Synonym: مِفْتَح (miftaḥ)

2. key (on a piano or other keyboard instrument)

   لَوْحَة مَفَاتِيح

   lawḥa(t) mafātīḥ

   keyboard

3. (figuratively) key

   مِفْتَاح السَّعَادة

   miftāḥ as-saʕāda

   Key of Happiness

   المفتاح لفهم الثقافة هو التعلم عنها.

   Al-miftah li-fahm ath-thaqafa huwa at-ta'alam 'anha.

   The key to understanding culture is learning about it.

Declension

Declension of noun مِفْتَاح (miftāḥ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِفْتَاح miftāḥ	الْمِفْتَاح al-miftāḥ	مِفْتَاح miftāḥ
Nominative	مِفْتَاحٌ miftāḥun	الْمِفْتَاحُ al-miftāḥu	مِفْتَاحُ miftāḥu
Accusative	مِفْتَاحًا miftāḥan	الْمِفْتَاحَ al-miftāḥa	مِفْتَاحَ miftāḥa
Genitive	مِفْتَاحٍ miftāḥin	الْمِفْتَاحِ al-miftāḥi	مِفْتَاحِ miftāḥi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مِفْتَاحَيْن miftāḥayn	الْمِفْتَاحَيْن al-miftāḥayn	مِفْتَاحَيْ miftāḥay
Nominative	مِفْتَاحَانِ miftāḥāni	الْمِفْتَاحَانِ al-miftāḥāni	مِفْتَاحَا miftāḥā
Accusative	مِفْتَاحَيْنِ miftāḥayni	الْمِفْتَاحَيْنِ al-miftāḥayni	مِفْتَاحَيْ miftāḥay
Genitive	مِفْتَاحَيْنِ miftāḥayni	الْمِفْتَاحَيْنِ al-miftāḥayni	مِفْتَاحَيْ miftāḥay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	مَفَاتِيح‎; مَفَاتِح mafātīḥ‎; mafātiḥ	الْمَفَاتِيح‎; الْمَفَاتِح al-mafātīḥ‎; al-mafātiḥ	مَفَاتِيح‎; مَفَاتِح mafātīḥ‎; mafātiḥ
Nominative	مَفَاتِيحُ‎; مَفَاتِحُ mafātīḥu‎; mafātiḥu	الْمَفَاتِيحُ‎; الْمَفَاتِحُ al-mafātīḥu‎; al-mafātiḥu	مَفَاتِيحُ‎; مَفَاتِحُ mafātīḥu‎; mafātiḥu
Accusative	مَفَاتِيحَ‎; مَفَاتِحَ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa	الْمَفَاتِيحَ‎; الْمَفَاتِحَ al-mafātīḥa‎; al-mafātiḥa	مَفَاتِيحَ‎; مَفَاتِحَ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa
Genitive	مَفَاتِيحَ‎; مَفَاتِحَ mafātīḥa‎; mafātiḥa	الْمَفَاتِيحِ‎; الْمَفَاتِحِ al-mafātīḥi‎; al-mafātiḥi	مَفَاتِيحِ‎; مَفَاتِحِ mafātīḥi‎; mafātiḥi

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: مفتاح
• Egyptian Arabic: مفتاح (muftāḥ)
• Hijazi Arabic: مفتاح (muftāḥ)
• Maltese: muftieħ
• Moroccan Arabic: مفتاح (muftāḥ)

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مِفْتَاح (miftāḥ, “key”).

Noun

مفتاح • (miftah) (plural مفاتح)

1. key, an object designed to open and close a lock

   Synonyms: آناختار (anahtar), كلید (kilid)

Descendants

• Turkish: miftah

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “miftah”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3214
• Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “miftâh”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎^[1] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 770
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “مفتاح”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[2], Constantinople: Mihran, page 1201
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Clavis”, 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^[3], Vienna, column 190
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “مفتاح”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[4], Vienna, column 4805
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “مفتاح”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[5], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1929

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ف ت ح
5 terms

Etymology

From Arabic مِفْتَاح (miftāḥ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muf.taːħ/, [mʊfˈtæːħ]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

مفتاح • (muftāḥ) m (plural مفاتيح (mafātīḥ))

1. key
2. electrical switch