مكة

See also: مکہ, مکھ, مکه, and مكه

Arabic

Etymology

Of uncertain etymology. Variously explained as

• From a similar name بَكَّة (bakka) appearing in the Quran
• Possibly from Ge'ez ምኵራብ (məkʷrab, “sanctuary, temple”), doublet of مِحْرَاب (miḥrāb); compare Greek Μακοράβα (Makoráva).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mak.ka/

Proper noun

مَكَّة • (makka) f

1. Mecca (a large city in Saudi Arabia)

   مَكَّة الْمُكَرَّمَة ― makkat al-mukarrama ― Mecca

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 48:24:

     وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ أَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا

     wahuwa llaḏī kaffa ʔaydiyahum ʕankum waʔaydiyakum ʕanhum bibaṭni makkata min baʕdi ʔan ʔaẓfarakum ʕalayhim wakāna l-lahu bimā taʕmalūna baṣīran

     And it is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them within [the area of] Makkah after He caused you to overcome them. And ever is Allah of what you do, Seeing.

Declension

Declension of noun مَكَّة (makka)

Singular	singular diptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	مَكَّة makka	—
Nominative	—	مَكَّةُ makkatu	—
Accusative	—	مَكَّةَ makkata	—
Genitive	—	مَكَّةَ makkata	—

Derived terms

• أَهْلُ مَكَّةَ أَدْرَى بِشِعَابِهَا (ʔahlu makkata ʔadrā bišiʕābihā)

Descendants

• → Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܟܵܐ (Makkā)
• → Azerbaijani: Məkkə
• → Bashkir: Мәккә (Məkkə)
• → Bengali: মক্কা (Mokka)
• → English: Mecca
• → Malay: Mekah
• Ottoman Turkish: مكه (Mekke)
  • Turkish: Mekke
• → Persian: مکه (Makke)
• → Swahili: Makka

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “مكة”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Further reading

• مكة on the Arabic Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ar