عذر
'udhr
The Arabic word for excuse is عذر ('udhr).
The word عذر can be used as a noun meaning an explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgement, or as a verb meaning to forgive or pardon.
Meaning: forgive, pardon (verb)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
'udhr
Did you know?
- While عذر is the root for 'excuse', the common way to say 'excuse me' when passing through a crowd is لو سمحت, which literally means 'if you would permit'.
- The Arabic word عذر shares a common ancestor with the Hebrew word for 'help', meaning that to offer an 'excuse' is etymologically linked to the act of providing assistance.
- In formal Arabic rhetoric, the phrase عذر أقبح من ذنب describes a situation where the excuse offered is actually worse than the original mistake.
Examples in context
- عذر توم كان ضئيلاً.Tom's excuse is pretty thin.This sentence shows how to describe a thin excuse using عذر.Tatoeba #9627439 by issadouba, translation #9627382 by issadouba
- ليس لديّ عذر.I don't have an excuse.This sentence illustrates the phrase "I don't have an excuse" using عذر.Tatoeba #7426545 by OsoHombre, translation #395289 by CM
- هذا مجرّد عذر.This is just an excuse.This sentence demonstrates how to say "This is just an excuse" using عذر.Tatoeba #6966553 by OsoHombre, translation #5747179 by CM
- عفوًا، أنا آسف للتدخل.Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt you.
- أعتذر عن خطأي.I apologize for my mistake.
- يرجى أن تغفر لي عما قلته.Please forgive me for what I said.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nour is apologizing to Ziad for being late to a meeting.
- نور Nourأنا آسفة، أرجوك عذر تأخري.Ana asifa, arjouka 'adhir ta'akhuri.I am sorry, please excuse my delay.
- زياد Ziadلا بأس، لقد وصلت للتو.La ba's, laqad wasaltu lil-taw.No problem, I just arrived.
- نور Nourهل يمكنك أن تعذرني على هذا الخطأ؟Hal yumkinuka an ta'dhurani 'ala hadha al-khata'?Can you excuse me for this mistake?
- زياد Ziadبالطبع يا نور، لا تقلقي.Bil-tab' ya Nour, la taqlaqi.Of course Nour, do not worry.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries عذر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
