عم

From عَن‎ (ʿan) +‎ مَا‎ (mā).

عَمَّ • (ʿamma)

1. from what?
2. about what?
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 78:1:

     ‏عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ‎

     ʿamma yatasāʾalūna

     About what are they asking one another?

عَمَّ • (ʿamma) I, non-past يَعُمُّ‎‎ (yaʿummu)

1. to be or become general
2. to spread, to prevail

   ‏هُنَالِكَ عَمَّ ٱلْخَيْرُ‎

   hunālika ʿamma l-ḵayru

   The good spread there.

عَمَّ • (ʿamma) I, non-past يَعُمُّ‎‎ (yaʿummu)

1. to comprise, to include, to encompass, to pervade

   ‏عَمَّ ٱلْمَطَرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ‎

   ʿamma l-maṭaru l-ʾarḍa

   The rain encompassed the whole land.

   ‏عَمَّهُمُ ٱلْمَرَضُ‎

   ʿammahumu l-maraḍu

   The disease spread among them.

2. to extend, to stretch, to be diffused, to be prevailing

• IPA^(key): /ʕamm/

عَمّ • (ʿamm) m (plural أَعْمام‎ (ʾaʿmām) or عُمُوم‎ (ʿumūm), feminine عَمَّة‎ (ʿamma))

1. paternal blood uncle (one's father's brother)
2. (informal) term of address to an older person

• → Swahili: ami

عَمِّ • (ʿammi) (form II)

1. second-person masculine singular active imperative of عَمَّى‎ (ʿammā)

عم • (ʿamm) m (feminine عمه‎ (ʿamma), plural أعمام‎ (ʾaʿmām))

1. paternal uncle (“brother of one's father”)
2. (informal) Term of address to an older person

From Arabic عَمّ‎ (ʿamm, “paternal uncle”).

IPA^(key): /ʕamm/

عم • (ʿamm) m (plural عموم‎ (ʿmūm), feminine عمة‎ (ʿamme))

1. paternal uncle
2. (informal, especially with vocative يا‎ (yā)) term of address to an older person or stranger

• عمو‎ (ʿammu)

Clipping of عَمَّال‎ (ʿammāl), an earlier form related to the verb عمل‎ (ʿimil, “to do”). See also مّا‎ (mma).

عم • (ʿam(m) or ʿamma)

1. Used with a following imperfect verb to mark the present progressive tense.

   ‏عَمَّ بيِتسَاءَلُوا‎

   ʿamma byitsāʾalu

   They’re messing around.

   ‏شو عم تعمل؟ — عم إشرب قهوة‎

   šū ʿam taʿmil? — ʿam ʾišrab ʾahwe.

   What are you doing? — I’m drinking coffee.

• Can be negated with either ما‎ (mā) or مش‎ (miš).
• The distribution of the two pronunciations, as well as of the b-prefix on the verb, varies by speaker and region. (Note that neither of these variables has any bearing on the construction's meaning.) Common possibilities follow, demoed using the phrase "I'm eating, he's eating":
  1. Verbs always appear with the prefix بـ‎ (b-). Possibilities from here:
     1. عَم (ʿam) is used invariably: ‏عَمْ باكل، عَمْ بياكل‎ ― ʿam bākul, ʿam byākul
     2. عَم (ʿam) is used when the بـ‎ (b-) precedes a vowel, and عَمَّ (ʿamma) when it precedes another consonant. This is to avoid a three-consonant cluster: ‏عَمْ باكل، عَمَّ بياكل‎ ― ʿam bākul, ʿamma byākul
  2. Verbs use the indicative prefix بـ‎ (b-) when it precedes a vowel, and omit it when it would precede a consonant. This too is to avoid a three-consonant cluster. Therefore, عَم (ʿam) is used invariably: ‏عَمْ باكل، عَمْ ياكل‎ ― ʿam bākul, ʿam yākul
  3. Verbs never use the indicative prefix بـ‎ (b-). Therefore, عَم (ʿam) is used invariably: ‏عَمْ آكل، عَمْ ياكل‎ ― ʿam ʾākul, ʿam yākul
• These are not constants, however. Speakers will often alternate between the options presented, even sometimes preserving the عَمَّ (ʿamma) pronunciation unconditioned.

• IPA^(key): /ʕamm/, [ʕam]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

From Arabic عَمّ‎ (ʿamm).

عمّ • (ʕamm) m (plural عمام‎ (ʕmām), feminine عمّة‎ (ʕamme))

1. paternal uncle (father's brother)

   Endearing form: عمّو‎ (ʕammo)

2. father-in-law

   Synonym: حما‎ (ḥama)

• خال‎ (ḵāl, “maternal uncle”)

Clipping of عمّال‎ (ʕammāl), an earlier form related to the verb عمل‎ (ʕimil, “to do”).

عمّ • (ʕamm)

1. used to stress the ongoing nature of an action

   ‏عمّ بشرب قهوة.‎‎

   ʕam bašrab ʔahwe.

   I'm drinking coffee right now.

• Although widely used, عمّ (ʕamm) is technically emphatic and thus optional; the present tense can already refer to continuous actions.
• In theory, عمّ (ʕamm) would be followed by the present tense; however, the بـ‎ (b-) non-past marker is usually elided to avoid a consonant cluster — yielding the subjunctive. However, note that the elision does not occur to 1st-person singular forms, and is optional in cases where بتـ‎ is realized as bit- (e.g. bitsawwi). Likewise, the elision does not occur at all when عمّ is realized as ʕamma.