عَمَلَ
ʿamala
/ˈʕa.ma.la/
Definition
To work or to do something; to carry out a task or job.
Example
هُوَ يَعْمَلُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ بِجِدٍّ وَاجْتِهَادٍ.
Show translation
He works every day with effort and dedication.
Etymology
From the Proto-Semitic root *ʿ-m-l, conveying the idea of labor and action. The same root gives the noun عَمَل (ʿamal, "work/deed") and عَامِل (ʿāmil, "worker/factor"), and appears across related Semitic languages including Hebrew עָמַל (ʿāmal, "to toil") and Ethiopic ʿamala.
Cultural note
In Arab culture, the triliteral root ع-م-ل is one of the most productive in the language. The noun عَمَل (ʿamal) carries both the mundane sense of "work" and a moral/religious weight — good deeds (الأَعْمَال الصَّالِحَة) are a central concept in Islamic ethics. Note that the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) verb عَمِلَ (with kasra on the middle root letter) is the more common vocalized dictionary form, while عَمَلَ is occasionally used in some dialects.