Arabic word sheet
دُنْيَا
The world, this present life
- Type
- noun
- Root
- د ن و
Meaning and usage
The world, this present life
It names the world we live in and the life led in it, here and now. It is said of everything that surrounds and occupies us day to day.
سَافَرَ سَامِي حَوْلَ الدُّنْيَا.
Sami travelled around the world.
The nearer, the nearest
Said of the one of two things that lies closer, or of the closest of all; this is the word's original sense.
سَكَنَ رَامِي فِي الْقَرْيَةِ الدُّنْيَا.
Rami lived in the nearest village.
Worldly goods
It names the wealth, comfort and pleasures one enjoys in life. It is said of what a person owns or runs after.
جَمَعَ التَّاجِرُ دُنْيَا وَاسِعَةً.
The merchant amassed a great fortune.
Plural
دُنًى
Word family
What the root means د ن و
The root carries the idea of coming near, of being close by. From it come the words for approaching, nearness, what is near or nearer, and the word for the world, seen as what lies closest at hand.
to come near
دَنَا
nearer, nearest
أَدْنَى
approach, nearness
دُنُوٌّ
near, close
دَانٍ
worldly
دُنْيَوِيٌّ
closeness, kinship
دَنَاوَةٌ
Synonyms
world, universe
Names the whole of the beings and things that exist, without the idea of the life one leads here and now.
Opposites
the farthest
قُصْوَى