Nafas
/ˈna.fas/noun
A breath or breathing, especially in Arabic, Persian, and Sufi contexts.
Did you know?In Sufi thought, nafas can refer not merely to respiration but to a spiritually significant breath, linking physical breathing with the vitality of the soul.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*nafs-
“Breath, life-force, or the animating self; a reconstructed Semitic root”
Ancient Akkadian
Akkadian
napāšu
“To breathe or come to life”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
nephesh
“Living being, life, self, or soul”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
nafas (نَفَس)
“A breath or respiration”
Medieval Persian
Persian
nafas (نَفَس)
“Breath; figuratively, spiritual inspiration or vitality”
Modern English
English
nafas
“A transliterated Arabic or Persian term for breath, especially in religious, Sufi, or cultural writing”