مسكين

See also: مسکین

Arabic

Etymology

Probably from Classical Syriac ܡܸܣܟܹܝܢܵܐ (meskēnā, “poor, miserable, wretched”), from Akkadian 𒈦𒆕𒂗 (muškēnum, “commoner, poor”). Also passed into Hebrew מִסְכֵּן (miskēn, “miserable”) and via Aramaic מִסְכֵּינָא / ܡܸܣܟܹܝܢܵܐ (meskēnā) into Ge'ez ምስኪን (məskin), Amharic ምስኪን (məskin), Tigrinya መስኪን (mäskin), Harari ሚስኪን (miskin).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mis.kiːn/
  • (Hijazi) IPA^(key): /maskiːn/

Adjective

مِسْكِين • (miskīn) (feminine مِسْكِينَة (miskīna), masculine plural مَسَاكِين (masākīn))

1. poor
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 76:8:

     وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا

     wayuṭʕimūna ṭ-ṭaʕāma ʕalā ḥubbihi miskīnan wayatīman waʔasīran

     "and give food—despite their desire for it—to the poor, the orphan, and the captive."

Declension

Declension of adjective مِسْكِين (miskīn)

singular	masculine		feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	مِسْكِين miskīn	الْمِسْكِين al-miskīn	مِسْكِينَة miskīna	الْمِسْكِينَة al-miskīna
nominative	مِسْكِينٌ miskīnun	الْمِسْكِينُ al-miskīnu	مِسْكِينَةٌ miskīnatun	الْمِسْكِينَةُ al-miskīnatu
accusative	مِسْكِينًا miskīnan	الْمِسْكِينَ al-miskīna	مِسْكِينَةً miskīnatan	الْمِسْكِينَةَ al-miskīnata
genitive	مِسْكِينٍ miskīnin	الْمِسْكِينِ al-miskīni	مِسْكِينَةٍ miskīnatin	الْمِسْكِينَةِ al-miskīnati
dual	masculine		feminine
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	مِسْكِينَيْن miskīnayn	الْمِسْكِينَيْن al-miskīnayn	مِسْكِينَتَيْن miskīnatayn	الْمِسْكِينَتَيْن al-miskīnatayn
nominative	مِسْكِينَانِ miskīnāni	الْمِسْكِينَانِ al-miskīnāni	مِسْكِينَتَانِ miskīnatāni	الْمِسْكِينَتَانِ al-miskīnatāni
accusative	مِسْكِينَيْنِ miskīnayni	الْمِسْكِينَيْنِ al-miskīnayni	مِسْكِينَتَيْنِ miskīnatayni	الْمِسْكِينَتَيْنِ al-miskīnatayni
genitive	مِسْكِينَيْنِ miskīnayni	الْمِسْكِينَيْنِ al-miskīnayni	مِسْكِينَتَيْنِ miskīnatayni	الْمِسْكِينَتَيْنِ al-miskīnatayni
plural	masculine		feminine
	basic broken plural diptote		sound feminine plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	مَسَاكِين masākīn	الْمَسَاكِين al-masākīn	مِسْكِينَات miskīnāt	الْمِسْكِينَات al-miskīnāt
nominative	مَسَاكِينُ masākīnu	الْمَسَاكِينُ al-masākīnu	مِسْكِينَاتٌ miskīnātun	الْمِسْكِينَاتُ al-miskīnātu
accusative	مَسَاكِينَ masākīna	الْمَسَاكِينَ al-masākīna	مِسْكِينَاتٍ miskīnātin	الْمِسْكِينَاتِ al-miskīnāti
genitive	مَسَاكِينَ masākīna	الْمَسَاكِينِ al-masākīni	مِسْكِينَاتٍ miskīnātin	الْمِسْكِينَاتِ al-miskīnāti

Descendants

• Maltese: miskin
• Moroccan Arabic: مسكين (miskīn)
• → Azerbaijani: miskin
• → Catalan: mesquí
• → Galician: mesquiño
• → Italian: meschino
  • → French: mesquin
• → Ligurian: meschin
• → Malay: miskin
  • Indonesian: miskin
• → Mozarabic: משכון (mškwn)
• → Old French: meschin
• → Old Occitan: mesquin
• → Old Spanish: mesquino
  • Spanish: mezquino
• → Ottoman Turkish: مسكین
  • Turkish: miskin
  • → Bulgarian: миски́н (miskín), ⇒ миски́нин (miskínin)
• → Persian: مسکین (meskin)
  • → Bengali: মিসকিন (miskin)
• → Portuguese: mesquinho
• → Romanian: meschin
• → Sardinian: mischinu
• → Sicilian: mischinu
• → Swahili: maskini

References

• “mskn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880), De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis‎ (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, →DOI, page 24
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938), The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 264–265
• Klein, Ernest (1987), A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎, Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN
• Leslau, Wolf (1991), Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 364
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910), Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, →DOI, page 45

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic مِسْكِين (miskīn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mis.kiːn/

Adjective

مسكين • (miskīn) (feminine مسكينة (miskīna), common plural مساكن (msākin), masculine plural مسكينين (miskīnīn), feminine plural مسكينات (miskīnāt))

1. poor (inspiring pity)