# أنور



## seitt

Hi,

Again with regard to محمد أنور السادات‎, what is the meaning of his second name, please?

I mean 'أنور'. For many years I had assumed it was the plural of نور and meant something like lights, but I've just realized that the plural of نور is أنوار, not أنور.

Best wishes,

Simon


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## إسكندراني

It's weighted like أفعل, compare to أحمد


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## Abu Rashid

It seems to be the comparative form.

"More luminous".


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## Mahaodeh

I agree with Abu Rashid, it seems to be comparative.


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## seitt

Many thanks - which standard form will it be based on then? Is it even possible to tell in all cases?


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## Mahaodeh

I would say اسم تفضيل similar to أمجد وأكرم وأشرف.


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## seitt

Many thanks, sorry, I was unclear again.

If akbar is based on kabiir, what is anwar based on, please?


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## Abu Rashid

نور

light


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## Faylasoof

Simon,

The form is أفعل , just as إسكندراني says. It means _brighter_ or _more luminous_ ,as Abu Rashid said, and this type of اِسْم is indeed termed ism اِسْم التَفْضِيْل ,as Mahaodeh mentioned. 

The term اِسْم التَفْضِيْل incorporates both the comparative and the superlative! You can read more on اِسْم in general and اِسْم التَفْضِيْل in particular here. 

BTW, the related word أنورة is _not_ the feminine of أنور ! Instead it is a less than common plural of نار (=fire) – all from the same root ن - و - ر , of course.  

Hmm…I was now wondering what the feminine and plural of أنور would be? Theoretically they should exist but I can’t recall them now! Are they even used? I’m thinking of the pattern: أفعل (masc.), فعلاء (fem.), فُعل (plural).
Any suggestions!


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## shafaq

Faylasoof said:


> Simon,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm…I was now wondering what the feminine and plural of أنور would be? Theoretically they should exist but I can’t recall them now! Are they even used? I’m thinking of the pattern: أفعل (masc.), فعلاء (fem.), فُعل (plural).
> Any suggestions!


It is   (*nowraa* not nooriy) and if my mind doesn't cheat me; is used as proper name for females instead of  انور  for males.


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## Mahaodeh

Up to my knowledge, there is no feminine form, but if there were one then it would be نورى as Shafaq suggested.


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## cherine

I don't remember hearing the feminine either, but if we follow the pattern أفعل - فعلاء , then I guess it should be nawraa2 نَوْراء .


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## Faylasoof

shafaq said:


> It is   (*nowraa* not nooriy) and if my mind doesn't cheat me; is used as proper name for females instead of  انور  for males.


Thanks Shafaq! Now I do recall this (!) and yes it is used as a female name just as حوراء is. The pattern is the same:

أحور (masc.), حوراء (fem.), حور (plural) 

 أنور (masc.), نوراء (fem.); hence نور  would be the plural!


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## إسكندراني

نورا is used quite commonly as a feminine proper name.
I don't know how it's spelt though I think it's like I wrote.


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## Faylasoof

cherine said:


> I don't remember hearing the feminine either, but if we follow the  pattern أفعل - فعلاء , then I guess it should be nawraa2 نَوْراء .


Hello Cherine,
I didn't refresh the page so I didn't notice your post! Yes it is as we both say, nawraa2 نَوْراء . In fact I knew someone called by this name in the UK but she spelt it in English as Nora (!) rather than ,say Naura,and insisted it was an Arabic name. At the time I didn't know enough Arabic to know that she was right, but then Nora is actually a common European name too! (BTW,I also know someone called 7auraa2 حوراء!)



إسكندراني said:


> نورا is used quite commonly as a feminine proper name.
> I don't know how it's spelt though I think it's like I wrote.


Well to be proper about it we can't or rather shouldn't omit the _hamzah_! So it should be نَوْراء _nawraa2_. No?


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## cherine

حوراء and نوراء are beautiful names 

As for Nora, we have it in Egypt, more precisely: Nura (long "u") and written like Iskandarany has put it: نورا . We don't think much about it, but I guess alomst everyone assimilates it to light, wether the form nuura is correct or wrong.


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## إسكندراني

It's common to assimilate hamzas in words and names, so expect it and don't put up a resistance to the idea


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## Mahaodeh

I don't think نوراء applies since it's اسم تفضيل. You don't say, as an example أكبر - كبراء, you would say أكبر كبرى wouldn't you? I believe نورا is just a common misspelling of نورة, similar to other common misspellings when it comes to تاء التأنيث at the end (داليا\دالية - ديما\ديمة - رانيا\رانية).


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## seitt

Thank you so much.

So, could we translate أنور السادات‎ as 'the most luminous of (all) the sayyids'?

Btw, as it's an independent formation and not based on any kind of simple adjective, I realize now that we can't say that this elative 'comes from' a simple adjective in the same way that 'larger' and 'largest' come from 'large'.

But perhaps the corresponding simple adjective might be 'نير' (nayyir)?


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## rayloom

The form أفعل in أنور isn't a comparative form اسم تفضيل.
 It's a "standard" form of the صفة مشبهة stative adjective, whose feminine form is فعلاء.
Stative adj. are much more commonly used as personal names in comparison to comparatives (& superlatives).

That being said, I have never come across the name نوراء, howeve, searching for the name on google, it appears to be in use.



seitt said:


> Thank you so much.
> 
> So, could we translate أنور السادات‎ as 'the most luminous of (all) the sayyids'?
> 
> Btw, as it's an independent formation and not based on any kind of  simple adjective, I realize now that we can't say that this elative  'comes from' a simple adjective in the same way that 'larger' and  'largest' come from 'large'.
> 
> But perhaps the corresponding simple adjective might be 'نير' (nayyir)?



LOL @ "the most luminous of (all) the sayyids".
Can you guess who's "Unique the Blind"?

Back to our topic:
You can translate it as such if you consider السادات to be a muDaaf  ilayhi. Then again, the comparative form should be الأشد نورا or  something of that sort, since it has a صفة مشبهة in the form of أفعل.
Just as when you'd say أشد بياضا since you shouldn't be using أبيض as a  comparative. However, it's one of the breakable rules (quite commonly!)  in Arabic grammar.
As for the form نيّر, it's another stative adj of the same verb (can't be considered a "simple" adj).


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## Faylasoof

I well understand this hamzah-assimilation in speech and names but what I meant was formally it should be نوراء , which distinguishes it from it being treated by an uninitiated as a مفعول مطلق ! But never mind! I hope I‘m not coming across as something of an “ ultra purist”!

Anyway, Rayloom is right! It is صفة مشبهة . There are of course many other examples apart from أنور (masc.), نوراء (fem.), e.g. أزهر (masc.) ; زهراء (fem.); أدرد (masc.) ; درداء (fem.); أحول (masc.) ; حولاء (fem.) etc.  

They all follow: أفعل (masc.), فعلاء (fem.), and I just found this useful site. Nice table!

 Incidentally, apart from what looks like Egypt at least, the names نوراء / نورا and حوراء / حورا have more become popular also  amongst Muslim families of South Asian origin, whether back home or abroad.


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## إسكندراني

rayloom said:


> Can you guess who's "Unique the Blind"?


ههههههههههههه



seitt said:


> Thank you so much.
> 
> So, could we translate أنور السادات‎ as 'the most luminous of (all) the sayyids'?
> 
> Btw, as it's an independent formation and not based on any kind of simple adjective, I realize now that we can't say that this elative 'comes from' a simple adjective in the same way that 'larger' and 'largest' come from 'large'.
> 
> But perhaps the corresponding simple adjective might be 'نير' (nayyir)?


This isn't the intention in the Arab world. Consider each name separately:
*محمد أنور السادات*
*oft-praised / luminous or enlightened / the masters (descendants of the prophet PBUH)*


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## jamila90

شكرا اخي  تقبل مروري


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## Mahaodeh

rayloom said:


> Can you guess who's "Unique the Blind"?



I think you mean "Unique the Deaf", don't you?


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## إسكندراني

Mahaodeh said:


> I think you mean "Unique the Deaf", don't you?


Wow I totally missed that too! فريد الأطرش is 'the deaf' not 'the blind'. I think we were both too busy laughing


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