Arabic word sheet
مَلَأٌ
Leading men, chiefs
- Type
- noun
- Root
- م ل ء
Meaning and usage
Leading men, chiefs
The foremost people of a community, those whose opinion counts and to whom others turn for a decision.
اِجْتَمَعَ مَلَأُ الْقَرْيَةِ فِي السَّاحَةِ
The leading men of the village gathered in the square.
Assembly, the public
A group of people gathered together, whoever they are; hence "the public", when something is done in front of everyone.
تَكَلَّمَ الْمُدِيرُ أَمَامَ الْمَلَأِ
The director spoke in public.
Plural
أَمْلَاءٌ
Word family
What the root means م ل ء
The root carries the idea of filling and being full. The leading men are so named because they are "full" of what is needed; from it also come "to fill", "to fill up", "full", "fill" and "to lend support".
to fill
مَلَأَ
to fill up, to become full
اِمْتَلَأَ
full
مَلْآنُ
filled
مَمْلُوءٌ
fill, the amount that fills
مِلْءٌ
to lend support, to side with
مَالَأَ
Synonyms
people of high rank, the elite
عِلْيَةٌ
It names people of high rank as a class, without the idea that they are gathered to decide.
group of people
جَمَاعَةٌ
It is broader: it names any group at all, with no idea of rank or importance.