Arabic word sheet
سُلْطَانٌ
Power, authority
- Type
- noun
- Root
- س ل ط
Meaning and usage
Power, authority
The strength or the right to command and prevail over others: the power of a king, of a governor, or the power entrusted to someone.
لِلْمُدِيرِ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى كُلِّ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ
The manager has authority over all the employees.
Proof, argument (classical use)
What establishes that a thing is true and forces itself on the listener's mind: a proof, a decisive argument.
Ruler, sultan
The person who holds power: a king, a governor, a sovereign. This is the most common use after the classical period.
زَارَ السُّلْطَانُ سُوقَ الْمَدِينَةِ
The sultan visited the town market.
Plural
سَلَاطِينُ
Word family
What the root means س ل ط
The root carries the idea of overpowering others, and that of hardness or sharpness. From it come the words for power, for giving someone a hold over another, for dominating, and for a sharp tongue.
power, authority
سُلْطَةٌ
to give power over
سَلَّطَ
to dominate, to gain the upper hand
تَسَلَّطَ
sharp-tongued
سَلِيطٌ
hardness, sharpness; a sharp tongue
سَلَاطَةٌ
sovereign power, sultanate
سَلْطَنَةٌ
Synonyms
argument, proof
حُجَّةٌ
It matches only the sense of proof: it is the argument one puts forward to win a dispute.
demonstration, decisive proof
بُرْهَانٌ
It too matches only the sense of proof, and states a clear demonstration that leaves no doubt.
ability, power to do
قُدْرَةٌ
Broader: it is the ability to do a thing in general, whereas the headword states a power held over others.