مِصْبَاح
miṣbāḥmasculine
The English word "lamp" is translated into Arabic as مِصْبَاح (miṣbāḥ). Wiktionary also lists لَمْبَة (lamba).
Meaning: device producing light (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مِصْبَاح | miṣbāḥ | masculine |
| لَمْبَة | lamba | feminine |
The word refers to a device that produces light.
Which one should you use?
While مِصْبَاح is the general term for a lamp or light source, the colloquial term لَمْبَة is often used specifically to refer to a light bulb.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
مِصْبَاح is the formal term used in Modern Standard Arabic and formal writing. In contrast, لَمْبَة is a colloquial term more common in daily spoken dialects.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Egyptian dialect, the word for lamp is لَمْبَة.
How does it change in a sentence?
The formal word مِصْبَاح has a broken plural form, which is مِصَابِيح.
How do you pronounce it?
miṣbāḥ
Did you know?
- The word مِصْبَاح shares a root with the word for 'morning' صَبَاح, reflecting the ancient association between the first light of day and a lamp.
- In poetic or classical Arabic, the phrase نور المصباح ('the light of the lamp') is often a metaphor for divine truth or spiritual guidance.
- In Arabic, the word لَمْبَة is a loanword adapted from the English word 'lamp' or the French 'lampe', which is why it sounds so similar to the English version.
Examples in context
- من فضلك، قم بتشغيل المُصباح.Please turn on the lamp.
- أنا محتاج أجيب لمبة جديدة.I need to buy a new lamp.
- هذا مِصْبَاحٌ جَدِيدٌ.hadha misbahun jadid.This is a new lamp.
- أُرِيدُ مِصْبَاحًا لِغُرْفَةِ النَّوْمِ.uridu misbahan li-ghurfati an-nawm.I want a lamp for the bedroom.
Example conversation
Yousef and Nour are organizing the living room.
- يوسف Youssefيا نور، هل المِصْبَاح يعمل؟Ya Nour, hal al-misbah ya'mal?Nour, is the lamp working?
- نور Nourلا، أعتقد أنه مكسور.La, a'taqidu annahu maksur.No, I think it is broken.
- يوسف Youssefسأشتري مِصْبَاحاً آخر غداً.Sa-ashtari misbahan akhar ghadan.I will buy another lamp tomorrow.
- نور Nourهذه فكرة جيدة يا يوسف.Hadhihi fikra jayyida ya Yousef.That is a good idea, Yousef.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lamp” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
