Awrah
/ˈɔː.rə/noun
In Islamic usage, the parts of the body that should be covered, especially in public or before certain people.
Did you know?The Arabic word can mean not only bodily parts requiring concealment but also a vulnerable or defenseless opening, as in the Qur’anic phrase describing exposed or unprotected homes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
ʿ-w-r
“A root associated with defect, vulnerability, or being exposed; its precise prehistoric form is reconstructed.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ʿawra (عَوْرَة)
“A vulnerable point, defect, private part, or something requiring concealment.”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
ʿawrāt (عَوْرَات)
“Private or exposed matters; the plural appears in Qur’an 24:58.”
18th–19th Century
English
awrah / aurat
“A transliterated Islamic legal and cultural term for the parts of the body prescribed to be covered.”
Modern English
English
awrah
“The bodily area that Islamic religious law regards as requiring covering, with the precise boundaries varying by context and legal interpretation.”