Arabic

Proper noun

صَفَر • ‎(ṣafar) m

1. Safar, the second of the twelve months of the Muslim lunar calendar, each beginning with a new moon. Safar (in a specific sense) means "void" in Arabic, supposedly because pagan Arabs looted during this month and left the houses empty.

Declension

See also

• (month): Previous: مُحَرَّم ‎(muḥarram). Next: رَبِيع الْأَوَّل ‎(rabīʿ al-ʾawwal)
• شُبَاط ‎(šubāṭ)
• فِبْرَايِر ‎(fibrāyir)

Etymology 2

From the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r).

Verb

صَفِرَ • ‎(ṣafira) I, non-past يَصْفَرُ‎ (yaṣfaru)

1. to be empty, to be devoid, to be vacant

Conjugation

Etymology 3

Causative of صَفِرَ ‎(ṣafira, “to be empty”).

Verb

صَفَّرَ • ‎(ṣaffara) II, non-past يُصَفِّرُ‎ (yuṣaffiru)

1. to empty, to void, to vacate, to evacuate, to free

Conjugation

Etymology 4

From the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r). Compare صَفِرَ ‎(ṣafira, “to be empty”).

Adjective

صَفْر or صِفْر or صُفْر or صَفِر or صُفُر • ‎(ṣafr or ṣifr or ṣufr or ṣafir or ṣufur) ‎(masculine plural أَصْفَار ‎(ʾaṣfār), elative أَصْفَر ‎(ʾaṣfar))

1. empty, void, devoid, free from

Declension

Etymology 5

Calqued from Sanskrit शून्य ‎(śūnya), also with the original meaning of "empty, void." Compare صَفْر ‎(ṣafr, “empty, void”) (also صِفْر ‎(ṣifr)).

Numeral

صِفْر • ‎(ṣifr) m

1. (cardinal) zero

   Eastern Arabic numeral: ٠ ‎(0)

   • Next: واحد, or ١‎ = 1

Descendants

• Binisaya: sip
• Hijazi Arabic: ṣifir
• Kurdish: sifir
• Malay: sifar
• Medieval Latin: zephirum
  • Corsican: zeru
  • Italian: zefiro > zero
    • French: zéro
      • Armenian զրո ‎(zro)
      • English: zero
        • Japanese: ゼロ ‎(zero)
        • Korean: 제로 ‎(jero)
        • Kurdish: zêro
      • Romanian: zero
    • Maltese: żero
  • Spanish: cero
    • Mapudungun: sero
• Medieval Latin: cifra
  • Esperanto: ĉifro
  • Hungarian: cifra
  • Italian: cifra
  • Old French: cyfre, cyffre
    • Middle English: siphre
      • English: cipher
    • Middle High German: zifer
      • German: Ziffer
    • French: chiffre
      • German: Chiffre
        • Czech: šifra, cifra
      • Polish: szyfr
      • Serbo-Croatian: šifra, cifra
      • Russian: шифр ‎(šifr)
  • Polish: cyfra
  • Spanish: cifra
  • Swedish: siffra
  • Russian: цифра ‎(cifra)
• Ottoman Turkish: صفر ‎(sıfır)
  • Turkish: sıfır
  • Armenian: սըֆըր ‎(səfər)
• Persian: صفر ‎(sefr)
  • Hindi: सिफ़र ‎(sifar)
  • Punjabi: ਸਿਫ਼ਰ ‎(sifar)
  • Urdu: صفر ‎(sifr)
• Swahili: sifuri

Etymology 6

Causative from the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r); compare أَصْفَر ‎(ʾaṣfar, “yellow”).

Verb

صَفَّرَ • ‎(ṣaffara) II, non-past يُصَفِّرُ‎ (yuṣaffiru)

1. to dye yellow, to make yellow, to color yellow

Conjugation

Etymology 7

Related to أَصْفَر ‎(ʾaṣfar, “yellow”), from the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r).

Noun

صُفْر • ‎(ṣufr) m

1. brass
2. money

Declension

Etymology 8

In its meaning "jaundice", related to أَصْفَر ‎(ʾaṣfar, “yellow”), from the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r).

Noun

صَفَر • ‎(ṣafar) m

1. verbal noun of صَفِرَ ‎(ṣafira) (form I)
2. (medicine) jaundice

Declension

Etymology 9

Inflected form.

Adjective

صُفْر • ‎(ṣufr) m pl

1. plural of أَصْفَر ‎(ʾaṣfar, “yellow”)

Etymology 10

From the root ص ف ر ‎(ṣ-f-r).

Verb

صَفَرَ • ‎(ṣafara) I, non-past يَصْفِرُ‎ (yaṣfiru)

1. to whistle
2. to hiss
3. to chirp, to stridulate
4. to scream (of a siren)

Conjugation

Etymology 11

Presumably, originally an intensive of صَفَرَ ‎(ṣafara, “to whistle, hiss, chirp”), later losing its intensive sense.

Verb

صَفَّرَ • ‎(ṣaffara) II, non-past يُصَفِّرُ‎ (yuṣaffiru)

1. to whistle
2. to hiss
3. to chirp, to stridulate
4. to scream (of a siren)

Conjugation

Malay

Etymology 1

From Arabic صَفَر ‎(ṣafar).

Alternative forms

• Safar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /safa(r)/
• Rhymes: -fa(r), -a(r)

Proper noun

صفر ‎(Rumi spelling Safar)

1. Safar (the second month of the Islamic calendar)

Synonyms

• bulan nahas / بولن ناهس

See also

• (Islamic calendar months) Islamic calendar month; Muharam, Safar, Rabiulawal, Rabiulakhir, Jamadilawal, Jamadilakhir, Rejab, Syaaban, Ramadan, Syawal, Zulkaedah, Zulhijah ^{(Category: ms:Islamic months)}

Etymology 2

From Arabic صِفْر ‎(ṣifr).

Alternative forms

• sifar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sifa(r)/
• Rhymes: -ifa(r), -fa(r), -a(r)

Numeral

صفر ‎(Rumi spelling sifar)

1. (cardinal) zero

Synonyms

• kosong / کوسوڠ
• nol / نول
• nihil / نيهيل

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

From Arabic صِفر.

Numeral

صفر • ‎(sıfır)

1. (cardinal) zero (0)

   Next number: بر ‎(bir) (1)

Etymology 2

From Arabic صِفر.

Noun

صفر • ‎(sıfır)

1. nought
2. naught
3. zero

Etymology 3

From Arabic صَفَر ‎(ṣafar).

Noun

صفر • ‎(safer)

1. Safar

Persian

Etymology 1

From Arabic صَفَر ‎(ṣafar)

Proper noun

صفر • ‎(safar)

1. Safar

Etymology 2

From Arabic صِفر.

Noun

صفر • ‎(sefr)

1. nought
2. naught
3. zero

Urdu

Etymology 1

From Persian صفر, from Arabic صَفَر ‎(ṣafar).

Proper noun

صفر • ‎(safar) ?

1. Safar

Etymology 2

From Persian صفر, from Arabic صِفْر ‎(ṣifr).

Noun

صفر • ‎(sifr) m

1. zero
2. cipher
3. dot
4. nought
5. naught