How to say "to hand over; to pay" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningto hand over; to pay
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
sallamaסלם
سلم
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
masarمَاسَار
How the two words are related
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
س-ل-مHebrew root
ש-ל-םSame root, ש-ל-ם / س-ل-م, but the two verbs specialized differently: Arabic sallama stayed general — 'to hand over, deliver' (and also 'he greeted', from the same 'wholeness/peace' family as سلام and שלום) — while Hebrew שילם narrowed to one specific kind of handing-over: paying. Both grow from the same root sense of making something whole.
Related Hebrew word:שילםshilemشِيلِم
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In a phrase
He handed the key over to the neighbor
The root family
س-ل-مש-ל-ם· wholeness, peace
The flagship pair: שלום and salām are the same word, from a root meaning wholeness and safety in both languages. Arabic's Form IV verbal noun islām — handing oneself over whole — is built exactly like Hebrew הַשְׁלָמָה, and even שילם "to pay" matches Arabic sallama "to hand over": paying is making someone whole.
- سَلَام salāmpeaceשָׁלוֹםpeace
- سَلِمَ salimahe was safe, came out unharmedשָׁלֵםwhole, intact
- سَلَّمَ sallamahe greeted; handed overשִׁלֵּםhe paid (made whole)
- إِسْلَام islāmIslam — surrender (to God)הַשְׁלָמָהcompletion; acceptance
- مُسْلِم muslimMuslim — one who surrenders (to God)מַשְׁלִיםone who completes / accepts
- سَلَامَة salāmasafety, well-being (as in maʿa s-salāma)
More words from this root
- peace / hellosalāmسَلَامשלום
- peace be upon youas-salāmu ʿalaykumالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمשלום עליכם
- goodbyemaʿa s-salāmaمَعَ السَّلَامَةלהתראות
- get well / glad you're safesalāmtakسَلَامَتَكרפואה שלמה
- sound, intact, healthysalīmسَلِيمשלם
- peacesalāmسَلَامשלום
- oh, peace! (Arabic exclamation of admiration) → wow! (Israeli slang)yā salāmيَا سَلَامיא סלאם
- safety, wellness (Arabic) → get well, bless you (Israeli informal usage)salāmaسَلَامَةסלאמה