سُمّ
summmasculine
The English word poison is سُمّ (summ) in Arabic. Wiktionary also lists سَمّ (samm).
Meaning: substance harmful to a living organism (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| سُمّ | summ | masculine |
| سَمّ | samm | Moroccan Arabic |
The term refers to a substance that is harmful to a living organism.
Which one should you use?
The noun سُمّ refers to the substance, while the verb سَمَّ refers to the act of poisoning.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arab countries, سُمّ is used to mean poison both formally and informally. In Moroccan Arabic, the word for poison is سَمّ, which is pronounced with an 'a' sound (samm) instead of the standard 'u' sound (summ).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
summ
Did you know?
- In some regional dialects, telling someone سُمّ as a response to their request can be a harsh way of saying 'I hope you choke on it'.
- In some Arab cultures, the word سُمّ is used in a sarcastic expression سُمّ في عسل which means 'poison in honey'. It describes someone who gives a compliment that is actually a hidden insult.
- While سُمّ refers to chemical poison, Arabic uses different terms for 'venom' produced by animals, reflecting a biological distinction not always present in basic English translations.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
In a science laboratory, Ahmed and Sara are looking at a specimen.
- أحمد Ahmedيا سارة، هل هذا سُمّ؟ya Sara, hal hadha summ?Sara, is this poison?
- سارة Saraنعم، إنه سُمّ قوي جداً.na'am, innahu summ qawi jiddan.Yes, it is a very strong poison.
- أحمد Ahmedيجب أن نكون حذرين.yajibu an nakuna hadhirin.We must be careful.
- سارة Saraأنا أعلم ذلك يا أحمد.ana a'lamu dhalika ya Ahmed.I know that, Ahmed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poison” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
