Safwah
/ˈsˤaf.wa/noun
An Arabic term meaning the finest, purest, or most select part of something, and by extension an elite or chosen group.
Did you know?Safwah belongs to the same Arabic root as Muṣṭafā—“the chosen one”—and Ṣafā, the sacred hill associated with the Islamic pilgrimage ritual of walking between Ṣafā and Marwah.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ṣ-p-y / *ṣ-f-y
“A reconstructed root associated with being pure, clear, or selected”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ṣafā (صفا)
“To become pure, clear, or free from impurity”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ṣafwah (صفوة)
“The purest or finest portion; the chosen elite”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
ṣafwa
“A select group or the best part of a thing”
Modern English
English transliteration
safwah
“A transliterated Arabic term used in religious, cultural, and personal-name contexts to mean selectness, purity, or an elite group”