How to say "headphones" in Arabic
CognateMeaningheadphones
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
sammāʿātסמאעאת
سماعات
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
ozniyotأُوزْنِيُوت
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
س-م-عHebrew root
ש-מ-עSame hearing root as samiʿa, 'to hear' (already in this app): sammāʿa, 'earpiece, receiver' (plural sammāʿāt), is an intensive instrument-noun from س-م-ع, exactly Hebrew שמע, the very verb of שמע ישראל (Arabic س regularly matches Hebrew ש). Hebrew's own everyday word, 'little ears', took a different image, but the same root gives Arabic sāmiʿ, 'listener', and mustamiʿ, 'audience' — all ears, etymologically.
Related Hebrew word:שמעshamaشَامَا
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In a phrase
Where are the headphones?
The root family
س-م-عש-מ-ע· hearing
The exact twin of שמע ישראל: samiʿa is שמע with the regular ש↔س swap. Arabic sumʿa "reputation" is literally what is heard about you — the very logic of Hebrew שמועה "rumor" — while Hebrew spun the same root into משמעת "discipline" (heeding) and משמעות "meaning". Modern Arabic hangs a sammāʿa, an earphone, on the ancient root.
- سَمِعَ samiʿahe heardשָׁמַעhe heard
- سَمْع samʿhearing (the sense)שֵׁמַעhearing — as in חוש השמע
- سُمْعَة sumʿareputation — what is heard about youשְׁמוּעָהrumor — what is heard
- سَمَّاعَة sammāʿaearphone, receiver; stethoscope
- اِسْتَمَعَ istamaʿahe listened (attentively)הִשְׁתַּמַּעwas implied, inferred