Arabic

Root

م ث ل ‎(m-ṯ-l)

1. forms words relating to similarity, resemblance, assimilation, imitation

Derived terms

Verbal forms

• Form I: مَثَلَ ‎(maṯala, “to resemble, be or look like, imitate, copy, compare, represent, appear, stand erect”)
  • Verbal noun: مُثُول ‎(muṯūl, “standing erect, appearance, presentation, audience”)
  • Active participle: مَاثِل ‎(māṯil, “standing forth, placed, displayed, appearing”)
  • Passive participle: مَمْثُول ‎(mamṯūl)
• Form II: مَثَّلَ ‎(maṯṯala, “to make something like something else, to make similar, make analogous, to assimilate (biologically), to give as an example, exemplify, use as a simile, compare, depict, describe, portray, act on stage or screen, play a part, perform, make an example of”)
  • Verbal noun: تَمْثِيل ‎(tamṯīl, “exemplification, comparison, assimilation, portrayal, depiction, description, acting, playing, performance, exemplary punishment”)
  • Active participle: مُمَثِّل ‎(mumaṯṯil, “representing, representative, representational; deputy, performer, actor, comedian”)
  • Passive participle: مُمَثَّل ‎(mumaṯṯal, “depicted, portrayed, represented, assimilated (biologically)”)
• Form III: مَاثَلَ ‎(māṯala, “to resemble, be or look like, become like or similar, take after, take the shape of, absorb, imitate, imagine, quote as an example, cite, personify, typify, stand erect before”)
  • Verbal noun: مُمَاثَلَة ‎(mumāṯala), مِثَال ‎(miṯāl)
  • Active participle: مُمَاثِل ‎(mumāṯil)
  • Passive participle: مُمَاثَل ‎(mumāṯal)
• Form V: تَمَثَّلَ ‎(tamaṯṯala)
  • Verbal noun: تَمَثُّل ‎(tamaṯṯul)
  • Active participle: مُتَمَثِّل ‎(mutamaṯṯil)
  • Passive participle: مُتَمَثَّل ‎(mutamaṯṯal)
• Form VI: تَمَاثَلَ ‎(tamāṯala)
  • Verbal noun: تَمَاثُل ‎(tamāṯul)
  • Active participle: مُتَمَاثِل ‎(mutamāṯil)
  • Passive participle: مُتَمَاثَل ‎(mutamāṯal)
• Form VIII: اِمْتَثَلَ ‎(imtaṯala)
  • Verbal noun: اِمْتِثَال ‎(imtiṯāl)
  • Active participle: مُمْتَثِل ‎(mumtaṯil)
  • Passive participle: مُمْتَثَل ‎(mumtaṯal)

Nouns and other parts of speech

• مِثْل ‎(miṯl, “similar”), أَمْثَال ‎(ʾamṯāl)
  • مِثْلَ ‎(miṯla, “just as”, preposition)
    • مِثْلَمَا ‎(miṯlamā, “as”, conjunction)
  • مِثْلِيّ ‎(miṯliyy, “replaceable”)
  • مِثْلِيَّة ‎(miṯliyya)
• مِثَال ‎(miṯāl, “model”), أَمْثِلَة ‎(ʾamṯila)
• مِثَالِيّ ‎(miṯāliyy, “allegoric, ideal”)
• مِثَالِيَّة ‎(miṯāliyya, “idealism”)
• مَثَّال ‎(maṯṯāl, “sculptor”), مَثَّالُون ‎(maṯṯālūn)
• مَثَالَة ‎(maṯāla, “exemplariness”)
• مَثِيل ‎(maṯīl, “like, similar, analogous; equal”)
  • أَمْثَل ‎(ʾamṯal, “exemplary”), مُثْلَى ‎(muṯlā)
• مُثُول ‎(muṯūl)
• أُمْثُولَة ‎(ʾumṯūla), أُمْثُولَات ‎(ʾumṯūlāt), أَمَاثِيل ‎(ʾamāṯīl)
• تِمْثَال ‎(timṯāl, “statue”), تَمَاثِيل ‎(tamāṯīl)
• تَمْثِيلِيّ ‎(tamṯīliyy, “theatrical”)
  • تَمْثِيلِيَّة ‎(tamṯīliyya, “play”)
• مَاثِلَة ‎(māṯila, “lamp, chandelier”)
• مُمَثِّلَة ‎(mumaṯṯila, “actress”)
• مُمَثِّلِيَّة ‎(mumaṯṯiliyya, “representation”)

References

Wehr, Hans (1979), “مثل”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, ISBN 0-87950-003-4