Arabic word sheet
قِسْطٌ
Fairness, justice
- Type
- noun
- Root
- ق س ط
Meaning and usage
Fairness, justice
Giving each one what is due, judging and sharing without wronging anyone. Also said of a true balance or measure.
يُعَامِلُ الْمُدِيرُ الْعُمَّالَ بِالْقِسْطِ.
The manager treats the workers fairly.
Share, portion
What falls to someone from a thing that is divided, or a certain amount of something.
نَالَ رَامِي قِسْطًا مِنَ الرَّاحَةِ.
Rami got a share of rest.
Old measure
A measure of capacity used in former times for grain or oil; also the vessel holding it. An old sense.
اِشْتَرَى الْجَارُ قِسْطًا مِنَ الْقَمْحِ.
The neighbour bought a measure of wheat.
Instalment modern usage
Each of the sums paid at fixed dates to settle a purchase or a debt little by little.
دَفَعَ سَامِي الْقِسْطَ الْأَوَّلَ.
Sami paid the first instalment.
Plural
أَقْسَاطٌ
Word family
What the root means ق س ط
The root carries the idea of a fair share, of what falls to each when things are divided evenly. From it come “to act fairly”, “fair-minded”, “to share out”, and, the other way round, the simple verb meaning “to be unjust”, with “the unjust one” and “injustice”.
to act fairly
أَقْسَطَ
fair, just
مُقْسِطٌ
to act unjustly
قَسَطَ
unjust
قَاسِطٌ
to share out, to divide into portions
قَسَّطَ
injustice
قُسُوطٌ
Synonyms
justice
The general word for justice; the headword points more precisely to the exact share given to each, as on a balance.
share, lot
Matches only the sense of share; it names what falls to someone, sometimes by chance, with no idea of fairness.
share, portion
حِصَّةٌ
Matches only the sense of share; it is the portion fixed for each in a division.
Opposites
injustice, unfairness
جَوْرٌ
injustice, wrong
ظُلْمٌ