How to say "photographer" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningphotographer
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
مُصَوِّر
muṣawwirמצור
مصور
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
צלם
tsalamتْسَالَام
How the two words are related
Shifted meaning
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ص-و-رHebrew root
י-צ-רHebrew's actual word for photographer, צלם, is unrelated (root צ-ל-ם, 'image, shadow' — the same root behind Genesis's צלם אלוהים). But muṣawwir's root ص-و-ر, 'to shape, form, depict', is traditionally compared to Hebrew י-צ-ר 'to form, create' (יוצר, יצירה) — a hollow ו lining up with an initial י is a real but debated kind of Semitic root variation, so treat this as a cousin, not a twin.
Related Hebrew word:יצרyatsarيَاتْسَار
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In a phrase
الْمُصَوِّر يَلْتَقِط صُورَة
al-muṣawwir yaltaqiṭ ṣūraאל-מצור ילתקט צורהThe photographer takes a picture.
Plural
مُصَوِّرُون
muṣawwirūnמצורוןsound masculine plural -ūn
Feminine
مُصَوِّرَة
muṣawwiraמצורה