ezafe

E1Z10A1F4E1
/ɛˈzɑːfeɪ/

noun

A grammatical particle found in some Iranian and Iranian-influenced languages which links two words together; it consists of the unstressed vowel -e / -ye (Persian, Bengali, Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi), -i / -yi (Classical Persian, Kurdish, Bengali, Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi, Ottoman Turkish, Turkish), or -ı (Ottoman Turkish, Turkish) between the words it connects, and often approximately corresponds in usage to the English preposition "of", similar to but not to be confused with Arabic ʾiḍāfa.

OriginIranian Persian اِضافِه ← Classical Persian اِضَافَه ← Arabic إِضَافَة →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounezafe (plural ezafe or ezafes)

plural ezafes · alternative ezāfe · alternative ezafeh · alternative ezāfeh · alternative izafa · alternative izāfa · alternative izafah · alternative izāfah · alternative izafat · alternative izāfat · alternative iḍāfa · alternative ʾiḍāfa · alternative iḍāfah · alternative iḍāfat · alternative idhafa · alternative idafa

  1. A grammatical particle found in some Iranian and Iranian-influenced languages which links two words together; it consists of the unstressed vowel -e / -ye (Persian, Bengali, Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi), -i / -yi (Classical Persian, Kurdish, Bengali, Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi, Ottoman Turkish, Turkish), or -ı (Ottoman Turkish, Turkish) between the words it connects, and often approximately corresponds in usage to the English preposition "of", similar to but not to be confused with Arabic ʾiḍāfa.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
izafet

Origin

  1. Arabicإِضَافَة
  2. Classical Persianاِضَافَه
  3. Iranian Persianاِضافِه
  4. Englishezafe

Borrowed from Iranian Persian اِضافِه (ezâfe), from Classical Persian اِضَافَه (izāfa), from Arabic إِضَافَة (ʔiḍāfa). Doublet of ʾiḍāfa.

More words from Iranian Persian, Classical Persian, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِضَافَة
  • إِضَافَة (ʔiḍāfa)grammatical particle
Bengali ইজাফা
  • ইজাফা (ijapha)grammatical particle
Chinese Mandarin 耶扎菲
  • 耶扎菲 (yēzhāfēi)grammatical particle
French ézafé
  • ézafégrammatical particle
Greek ιζαφέτ
  • ιζαφέτ (izafét)grammatical particle
Hebrew אֶזָאפֶה
  • אֶזָאפֶהgrammatical particle
Hindi इज़ाफ़ा, इज़ाफ़त
  • इज़ाफ़ा (izāfā)grammatical particle
  • इज़ाफ़त (izāfat)grammatical particle
Japanese エザーフェ
  • エザーフェ (ezāfe)grammatical particle
Korean 에자페
  • 에자페 (ejape)grammatical particle
Punjabi ਇਜ਼ਾਫ਼ਾ, ਇਜ਼ਾਫ਼ਤ
  • ਇਜ਼ਾਫ਼ਾ (izāfā)grammatical particle
  • ਇਜ਼ਾਫ਼ਤ (izāfat)grammatical particle
  • اِضافَہ (īẓāfah)grammatical particle
  • اِضافَت (īẓāfat)grammatical particle
Russian изафе́т
  • изафе́т (izafét)grammatical particle
Turkish izafet
  • izafetgrammatical particle
Urdu اِضافَہ, اِضافَت
  • اِضافَہ (izāfa)grammatical particle
  • اِضافَت (izāfat)grammatical particle
Cite this entry
APA

ezafe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ezafe

MLA

“ezafe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ezafe. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ezafe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ezafe.

Source: ezafe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.