Arabic word sheet
مِثْلٌ
A like, a match
- Type
- noun
- Root
- م ث ل
Meaning and usage
A like, a match
What resembles something else closely enough to stand in for it: a person or a thing of the same kind, an equal.
Like
Placed before a noun, it serves to compare: “like”, “in the manner of”.
Equivalent, as much
The same amount or the same value as a thing: what is given back or paid in exchange for another.
Plural
أَمْثَالٌ
Word family
What the root means م ث ل
The root carries the idea of setting two things level, one standing as the image of the other. From it come “example, proverb”, “equal”, “model”, “to liken”, “to be alike” and “likeness”.
example, proverb
equal, counterpart
مَثِيلٌ
model, example
مِثَالٌ
to liken
مَثَّلَ
to be alike
تَمَاثَلَ
likeness, similarity
مُمَاثَلَةٌ
Synonyms
something resembling
شِبْهٌ
It expresses a resemblance, sometimes limited to looks or to one trait, whereas the headword means a thing of the same kind that can stand in for the other.
counterpart, peer
نَظِيرٌ
It means what matches a thing in rank or position, without the two necessarily being alike in everything.