Lesson 92
Noun of Instrument and Noun of Place/Time
اسم الآلة اسم المكان والزمان
Arabic has dedicated patterns for nouns of instrument (tool used for an action) and nouns of place/time (where or when an action occurs). These patterns are highly productive in technical and everyday vocabulary.
Noun of Instrument اسم الآلة
PatternRoot verbExampleMeaning
مِفْعَلفَتَحَ (opened)مِفْتَحkey (thing used to open)
مِفْعَلَةسَطَرَ (lined)مِسْطَرَةruler (thing used to draw lines)
مِفْعَالنَشَرَ (spread/sawed)مِنْشَارsaw (thing used to cut)
مِفْعَالقِيَاس (measure)مِقْيَاسmeasuring scale / gauge
Noun of Place/Time اسم المكان والزمان
PatternWhen usedExampleMeaning
مَفْعِلVerb present has ḍamma or kasraمَسْجِدmosque from سَجَدَ-يَسْجُد
مَفْعَلVerb present has fatḥa, or defectiveمَذْهَب مَنْهَجschool of thought method
مَفْعَلَةPlace abundant in somethingمَكْتَبَة مَدْرَسَةlibrary school
مَفْعَل (Form X)Form X location nounمُسْتَشْفَى مُخْتَبَرhospital laboratory
مَسْجِد مَكْتَبَة مَذْهَب مَنْهَج مَخْرَج
Masjid maktaba madhhab manhaj makhraj
Mosque (place of prostration) Library (place of books) Juristic school (direction of going) Curriculum (path) Exit / articulation point (Tajwīd term from خَرَجَ)
وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ
Wa-likullin wijhatun huwa muwallīhā Fa-stabiqū l-khayrāt
"And each has a direction to which he turns so compete in good deeds." (2:148) وِجْهَة is a masdar/place noun from وَجَّهَ (Form II of وَجَهَ to direct) "that toward which one faces."
- مِـ prefix = instrument (اسم الآلة); مَـ prefix = place/time (اسم المكان والزمان) the initial vowel is the primary rule.
- مَسْجِد = مَفْعِل from سَجَدَ-يَسْجُد (present ḍamma) "the place of prostration" a building named for its defining act.
- Pattern choice (مَفْعَل vs مَفْعِل) depends on the present-tense vowel: يَفْعُل/يَفْعِل → مَفْعِل; يَفْعَل → مَفْعَل with exceptions.
- مَخَارِج الْحُرُوف (articulation points of letters) uses this pattern مَخْرَج (plural مَخَارِج) from خَرَجَ: the place where each letter exits.
- Modern Arabic extends these patterns: مُسْتَشْفَى (hospital Form X location), مُخْتَبَر (laboratory Form VIII), مُسْتَوْدَع (warehouse) the classical patterns are fully productive.