Arabic word sheet
أَخٌ
Brother
- Type
- noun
- Root
- ء خ و
Meaning and usage
Brother
The son of the same father and mother as someone, or of either of them.
لِسَامِي أَخٌ صَغِيرٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ
Sami has a little brother at school.
Friend, companion
By a figure of speech, said of a close friend, a companion or a fellow to whom one is tied as to a brother.
رَامِي أَخٌ لِي مُنْذُ أَيَّامِ الْجَامِعَةِ
Rami has been a brother to me since university days.
The like, the fellow of a thing (older use)
Also said of a thing that resembles another or goes together with it: the second piece of a pair, its match.
وَجَدَتْ لَيْلَى أَخَا هَذَا الْجَوْرَبِ تَحْتَ السَّرِيرِ
Layla found the mate of this sock under the bed.
Plural
إِخْوَةٌ / إِخْوَانٌ
Word family
What the root means ء خ و
The root carries the idea of the tie between children of the same parents, and then of any close tie between people or likeness between things. From it come the words for a sister and for brotherhood.
sister
أُخْتٌ
brotherhood
أُخُوَّةٌ
Synonyms
full brother
شَقِيقٌ
Narrower: said only of a brother born of the same father and the same mother.
friend
صَدِيقٌ
This is the ordinary word for a friend; it matches only the figurative sense of the headword and states no kinship.