Mufrad
/ˈmʊf.ræd/noun
A grammatical term, especially in Arabic, meaning singular or consisting of a single item.
Did you know?Mufrad comes from the Arabic root F-R-D, associated with singleness and separation—the same root behind the Islamic term *fard*, an individually obligatory religious duty.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*p-r-d
“A reconstructed root associated with separating or setting apart; the exact reconstruction and semantic pathway are debated.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
فَرَدَ (farada)
“To separate, make single, assign, or prescribe.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
أَفْرَدَ (afr ada)
“To make something single, isolate it, or treat it separately.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
مُفْرَد (mufrad)
“Made single or separate; in grammar, singular.”
Medieval Arabic Grammar
Arabic
مفرد (mufrad)
“A singular grammatical form, contrasted with dual and plural forms.”
Modern English
English
mufrad
“A specialist English loanword for singular, particularly in descriptions of Arabic grammar.”