Arabic word sheet
مُعْرِضٌ
Turning away
- Type
- adjective
- Root
- ع ر ض
Meaning and usage
Turning away
Said of someone who turns his back on a person, on what is said or on a thing: he avoids it, will not listen to it or leaves it aside. What one turns away from is introduced by the little word meaning “from”.
الطَّالِبُ مُعْرِضٌ عَنِ الدَّرْسِ الْيَوْمَ.
The student is turning away from the lesson today.
Lying open, within reach (old)
In the old language, said of a thing that presents its side and so lies in full view, within reach of whoever wants it, with nothing in the way.
الْهَدَفُ مُعْرِضٌ لِلرَّامِي.
The target lies open to the archer.
Word family
What the root means ع ر ض
The root’s basic idea is breadth: a thing is wide, and so shows its broad side. From there come the words for width and wide, for what shows or presents itself, and for taking another side than the one where a thing is, that is, turning away from it.
to turn away (from)
أَعْرَضَ
turning away
إِعْرَاضٌ
width, breadth
عَرْضٌ
wide, broad
عَرِيضٌ
to present itself, to appear
عَرَضَ
to come across one’s way, to stand in the way
اِعْتَرَضَ
Synonyms
turning his back
مُوَلٍّ
It gives the picture more bluntly: one turns one’s back and goes off, whereas the headword may be no more than a refusal to listen.
Opposites
coming towards, turning to
مُقْبِلٌ