ناموس

Arabic

Etymology

From Classical Syriac ܢܳܡܘܿܣܳܐ (nāmōsā), from Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos). Already in Pre-Islamic times the meaning of this foreign word got debauched and hence apart from the application for “godly law”, from which the word originates, it has meant human law, virtue, respect, doctrines, even natural laws. And the application to a certain person derives from the role of Gabriel entrusted in transmitting the revelations of the God of the Gesetzesreligion. This in turn has been misunderstood again as meaning “angel”, hence also the nisba meaning نَامُوسِيّ (nāmūsiyy, “angelic”). But more vulgarly this relates to all meanings of the three consonants in relation to something being “hidden”; hence also the meaning “cunning”, that is the property of somebody who hides his plans well. In particular the sense of a nematocerous insect – originally African Arabic – comes hence since these insects are active at night and alight in marsh bushes by day, as well as the name of the polecat نِمْس (nims), since these beasts are active at night and alight in burrows, alcoves, wall niches, boles by day. And the name of a cromlech is related to the belief that such stone structures hide mysteries that could only be unveiled by a مَغْرَبِيّ (maḡrabiyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naː.muːs/

Noun

نَامُوس • (nāmūs) m (plural نَوَامِيس (nawāmīs))

1. namus, mos sive fas – one of the notoriously hard to define terms like morals or conscience
2. confidant, who is trusted in keeping a thing
   • 7th century CE, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Buḵāriyy, 60:66:

     هَذَا النَّامُوسُ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَلَى مُوسَى

     haḏā an-nāmūsu allaḏī ʔanzala llāhu ʕalā mūsā

     This is the confidant whom God has sent down to Moses.

3. latibulum, where a hunter or hunting animal retreats to prey later

   Synonyms: قُتْرَة (qutra), قُرْمُوص (qurmūṣ), زَرِيبَة (zarība), زَرْب (zarb)

4. cromlech, a stone circle, a lithic burial structure in the Sinai connected to various superstitions (also known as namus in English archaeological writing)

Declension

Declension of noun نَامُوس (nāmūs)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوس nāmūs	النَّامُوس an-nāmūs	نَامُوس nāmūs
Nominative	نَامُوسٌ nāmūsun	النَّامُوسُ an-nāmūsu	نَامُوسُ nāmūsu
Accusative	نَامُوسًا nāmūsan	النَّامُوسَ an-nāmūsa	نَامُوسَ nāmūsa
Genitive	نَامُوسٍ nāmūsin	النَّامُوسِ an-nāmūsi	نَامُوسِ nāmūsi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوسَيْن nāmūsayn	النَّامُوسَيْن an-nāmūsayn	نَامُوسَيْ nāmūsay
Nominative	نَامُوسَانِ nāmūsāni	النَّامُوسَانِ an-nāmūsāni	نَامُوسَا nāmūsā
Accusative	نَامُوسَيْنِ nāmūsayni	النَّامُوسَيْنِ an-nāmūsayni	نَامُوسَيْ nāmūsay
Genitive	نَامُوسَيْنِ nāmūsayni	النَّامُوسَيْنِ an-nāmūsayni	نَامُوسَيْ nāmūsay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَوَامِيس nawāmīs	النَّوَامِيس an-nawāmīs	نَوَامِيس nawāmīs
Nominative	نَوَامِيسُ nawāmīsu	النَّوَامِيسُ an-nawāmīsu	نَوَامِيسُ nawāmīsu
Accusative	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسَ an-nawāmīsa	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa
Genitive	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسِ an-nawāmīsi	نَوَامِيسِ nawāmīsi

Derived terms

• أَنْمَس (ʔanmas, “turbid, dim”)
• تَنَمَّسَ (tanammasa, “to be hidden, to be concealed”)
• تَنَمَّسَ (tanammasa, “to make it law for oneself”)
• رَامُوس (rāmūs, “grave soil”)
• رَمْس (rams, “grave soil”)
• نَامَسَ (nāmasa, “to communicate a secret to”)
• نَامُوسِيّ (nāmūsiyy, “related to nāmūs”)
• نَمَسَ (namasa, “to keep in secret”)
• نَمَّسَ (nammasa, “to deceive, to make a jiggery-pokery”)
• نِمْس (nims, “polecat”)

Descendants

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: namus
• → English: namus
• → Hebrew: נאמוס
• → Central Kurdish: نامووس (namûs)
• → Persian: ناموس
  • → Southern Altai: намыс (namïs)
  • Bashkir: намыҫ (namıś)
  • Kazakh: намыс (namys)
  • Kyrgyz: намыс (namıs)
  • Tatar: намус (namus)
  • Uzbek: nomus
  • Uyghur: نومۇس (nomus)
• → Ottoman Turkish: ناموس (namus)
  • Turkish: namus
  • → Abkhaz: анамыс (anaməs)
  • → Armenian: նամուս (namus)
  • → Avar: намус (namus)
  • → Georgian: ნამუსი (namusi)
    • → Bats: ნამუს (namus)
    • → Mingrelian: ლამოსი (lamosi), ლამუსი (lamusi)
      • → Abkhaz: а́ламыс (álaməs)
  • → Ossetian: намыс (namys)
• → Swahili: nemsi

Noun

نَامُوس • (nāmūs) m (collective, singulative نَامُوسَة f (nāmūsa), plural نَامُوسَات (nāmūsāt))

1. any Nematocera insect: crane flies, gnats, mosquitoes

   Synonyms: بَعُوض (baʕūḍ), (Iraq) بَقّ (baqq), (Syria) قِرْقِس (qirqis), (Syria) جِرْجِس (jirjis), بَرْغَش (barḡaš), خَمُوش (ḵamūš)

Declension

Declension of noun نَامُوس (nāmūs)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوس nāmūs	النَّامُوس an-nāmūs	نَامُوس nāmūs
Nominative	نَامُوسٌ nāmūsun	النَّامُوسُ an-nāmūsu	نَامُوسُ nāmūsu
Accusative	نَامُوسًا nāmūsan	النَّامُوسَ an-nāmūsa	نَامُوسَ nāmūsa
Genitive	نَامُوسٍ nāmūsin	النَّامُوسِ an-nāmūsi	نَامُوسِ nāmūsi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوسَة nāmūsa	النَّامُوسَة an-nāmūsa	نَامُوسَة nāmūsat
Nominative	نَامُوسَةٌ nāmūsatun	النَّامُوسَةُ an-nāmūsatu	نَامُوسَةُ nāmūsatu
Accusative	نَامُوسَةً nāmūsatan	النَّامُوسَةَ an-nāmūsata	نَامُوسَةَ nāmūsata
Genitive	نَامُوسَةٍ nāmūsatin	النَّامُوسَةِ an-nāmūsati	نَامُوسَةِ nāmūsati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوسَتَيْن nāmūsatayn	النَّامُوسَتَيْن an-nāmūsatayn	نَامُوسَتَيْ nāmūsatay
Nominative	نَامُوسَتَانِ nāmūsatāni	النَّامُوسَتَانِ an-nāmūsatāni	نَامُوسَتَا nāmūsatā
Accusative	نَامُوسَتَيْنِ nāmūsatayni	النَّامُوسَتَيْنِ an-nāmūsatayni	نَامُوسَتَيْ nāmūsatay
Genitive	نَامُوسَتَيْنِ nāmūsatayni	النَّامُوسَتَيْنِ an-nāmūsatayni	نَامُوسَتَيْ nāmūsatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوسَات nāmūsāt	النَّامُوسَات an-nāmūsāt	نَامُوسَات nāmūsāt
Nominative	نَامُوسَاتٌ nāmūsātun	النَّامُوسَاتُ an-nāmūsātu	نَامُوسَاتُ nāmūsātu
Accusative	نَامُوسَاتٍ nāmūsātin	النَّامُوسَاتِ an-nāmūsāti	نَامُوسَاتِ nāmūsāti
Genitive	نَامُوسَاتٍ nāmūsātin	النَّامُوسَاتِ an-nāmūsāti	نَامُوسَاتِ nāmūsāti
Plural of variety	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَامُوسَات nāmūsāt	النَّامُوسَات an-nāmūsāt	نَامُوسَات nāmūsāt
Nominative	نَامُوسَاتٌ nāmūsātun	النَّامُوسَاتُ an-nāmūsātu	نَامُوسَاتُ nāmūsātu
Accusative	نَامُوسَاتٍ nāmūsātin	النَّامُوسَاتِ an-nāmūsāti	نَامُوسَاتِ nāmūsāti
Genitive	نَامُوسَاتٍ nāmūsātin	النَّامُوسَاتِ an-nāmūsāti	نَامُوسَاتِ nāmūsāti

Derived terms

• نَامُوسِيّة (nāmūsiyya, “protective net against nematocerous insects”)

Adjective

نَامُوس • (nāmūs) (obsolete)

1. cunning, astute

Declension

Declension of adjective نَامُوس (nāmūs)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	نَامُوس nāmūs	النَّامُوس an-nāmūs	نَامُوسَة nāmūsa	النَّامُوسَة an-nāmūsa
Nominative	نَامُوسٌ nāmūsun	النَّامُوسُ an-nāmūsu	نَامُوسَةٌ nāmūsatun	النَّامُوسَةُ an-nāmūsatu
Accusative	نَامُوسًا nāmūsan	النَّامُوسَ an-nāmūsa	نَامُوسَةً nāmūsatan	النَّامُوسَةَ an-nāmūsata
Genitive	نَامُوسٍ nāmūsin	النَّامُوسِ an-nāmūsi	نَامُوسَةٍ nāmūsatin	النَّامُوسَةِ an-nāmūsati
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	نَامُوسَيْن nāmūsayn	النَّامُوسَيْن an-nāmūsayn	نَامُوسَتَيْن nāmūsatayn	النَّامُوسَتَيْن an-nāmūsatayn
Nominative	نَامُوسَانِ nāmūsāni	النَّامُوسَانِ an-nāmūsāni	نَامُوسَتَانِ nāmūsatāni	النَّامُوسَتَانِ an-nāmūsatāni
Accusative	نَامُوسَيْنِ nāmūsayni	النَّامُوسَيْنِ an-nāmūsayni	نَامُوسَتَيْنِ nāmūsatayni	النَّامُوسَتَيْنِ an-nāmūsatayni
Genitive	نَامُوسَيْنِ nāmūsayni	النَّامُوسَيْنِ an-nāmūsayni	نَامُوسَتَيْنِ nāmūsatayni	النَّامُوسَتَيْنِ an-nāmūsatayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	basic broken plural diptote		basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	نَوَامِيس nawāmīs	النَّوَامِيس an-nawāmīs	نَوَامِيس nawāmīs	النَّوَامِيس an-nawāmīs
Nominative	نَوَامِيسُ nawāmīsu	النَّوَامِيسُ an-nawāmīsu	نَوَامِيسُ nawāmīsu	النَّوَامِيسُ an-nawāmīsu
Accusative	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسَ an-nawāmīsa	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسَ an-nawāmīsa
Genitive	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسِ an-nawāmīsi	نَوَامِيسَ nawāmīsa	النَّوَامِيسِ an-nawāmīsi

References

• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “ناموس”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎^[1] (in French), volume 2, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 725–726
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 278
• Freytag, Georg (1837) “ناموس”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[2] (in Latin), volume 4, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 227
• Freytag, Georg (1837) “ناموس”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[3] (in Latin), volume 4, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 338
• Lagarde, Paul de (1887) Mittheilungen (in German), volume 2, Göttingen: Dieterichsche Sortimentsbuchhandlung, page 358
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1858) “Hatte Muḥammad christliche Lehrer?”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German), volume 12, pages 701–702
• Sprenger, Aloys (1859) “Über den Ursprung und die Bedetung des arabischen Wortes Nâmûs”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[4] (in German), volume 13, archived from the original on 3 August 2019, pages 690–701
• Viré, François (1993) “NĀMŪS”, in The Encyclopedia of Islam, volume 7, Leiden: E. J. Brill, →ISBN, pages 953–956
• Vollers, Karl (1893) “Vier Lehnwörter im Arabischen”, in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete‎^[5] (in German), volume 8, pages 102–104
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “ناموس”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[6] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 1317

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic نَامُوس (nāmūs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naː.muːs/

Noun

ناموس • (nāmūs) m (collective, singulative ناموسة f (nāmūsa), paucal ناموسات (nāmūsāt))

1. mosquitoes

   Synonym: شنيولة (šnīwla)

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic نَامُوس (nāmūs, “confidant; namus, honor”), from Classical Syriac ܢܳܡܘܿܣܳܐ (nāmōsā), ultimately from Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos, “usage, custom”).

Noun

ناموس • (namus) (definite accusative ناموسی (namusu), plural نوامیس (nevâmis))

1. confidant, a person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets, especially an intimate of a great personage

   Synonym: بطانه (bıtane)

2. honor, virtue, the state of being morally upright, honest, noble, virtuous, and magnanimous, excellence of character

   Synonyms: شان (şan), شرف (şeref)

3. namus, a concept of virtue and honor within a family, typically relating to chastity and modesty of female family members

Derived terms

• ناموس اكبر (namus-i ekber, “the archangel Gabriel”)
• ناموسسز (namussuz, “without shame or honor”)
• ناموسكار (namuskâr, “honest”)
• ناموسلو (namuslu, “possessed of a keen sense of honor”)

Descendants

• Turkish: namus
• → Abkhaz: а-намыс (a-naməs)
• → Albanian: namus
• → Georgian: ნამუსი (namusi)
  • → Bats: ნამუს (namus)
  • → Mingrelian: ლამოსი (lamosi), ლამუსი (lamusi)
    • → Abkhaz: а́ламыс (álaməs)
• → Middle Armenian: նամուս (namus)
  • Armenian: նամուս (namus)
• → Ossetian: намыс (namys)

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “namus”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3488
• Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “nâmûs”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎^[7] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 963
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “ناموس”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[8], Constantinople: Mihran, page 1266
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Existimatio”, 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^[9], Vienna, column 509
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “ناموس”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[10], Vienna, columns 5117-5118
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “namus”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “ناموس”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[11], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 2067

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic نَامُوس (nāmūs), from Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [nɑː.ˈmuːs]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [nɑː.múːs]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [nɑː.múːs]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [nɑː.múːs]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [nɔː.mús]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [nɒː.múːs]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [nɔ.mús]

Readings
Classical reading?	nāmūs
Dari reading?	nāmūs
Iranian reading?	nâmus
Tajik reading?	nomus

Noun

Dari	ناموس
Iranian Persian
Tajik	номус

ناموس • (nâmus)

1. namus: notion of honor, moral reputation, and female chastity
2. (by extension) female family member (from a male perspective)
3. law, regulation
   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 275:

     بیقراری هم ندارم ز آن که در ناموس عشق
     روز و شب امید جان بیقرار من تویی

     bē-qarārī ham na-dāram zi ān ki dar nāmūs-i išq
     rōz u šab ummēd-i jān-i bē-qarār-i man tō-yī

     I am not even restless, since by the law of love,
     You are the hope of my restless soul day and night.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Derived terms

• بی‌ناموس (bi-nâmus)
• ناموسی (nâmusi)

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ن م س
1 term

Etymology

From Arabic نَامُوس (nāmūs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naː.muːs/, [naˈmuːs]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

ناموس • (nāmūs) m (collective, singulative ناموسة f (nāmūse))

1. mosquitoes

   Synonyms: هسهس (his-his), بَعُوض (baʕūḍ)