Latifah
/ləˈtiːfə/noun
A feminine given name of Arabic origin meaning gentle, kind, or subtle.
Did you know?Latifah is related to al-Laṭīf, one of the traditional 99 Names of God in Islam, commonly translated as “The Subtle” or “The Gentle.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
laṭīf (لطيف)
“Gentle, kind, refined, subtle, or delicate”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
laṭīfa (لطيفة)
“The feminine form of laṭīf; a gentle or subtle woman”
Medieval Islamic period
Arabic
al-Laṭīf (اللطيف)
““The Subtle” or “The Gentle,” a divine epithet associated with hidden benevolence and delicate knowledge”
19th–20th Century
English transliteration
Latifa / Latifah
“Arabic feminine personal name rendered in several Latin-alphabet spellings”
Modern English
English
Latifah
“A feminine given name used internationally”