Tasfiyah
/tæsˈfiːjə/noun
An Arabic term meaning purification, cleansing, clarification, or the removal of impurities.
Did you know?Tasfiyah derives from the Arabic root Ṣ-F-W, also associated with ṣafāʾ, “purity” or “clarity,” and Ṣafiyy, meaning “pure” or “chosen.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
ṣ-p-w
“To be pure, clear, or free from admixture; a reconstructed Semitic root.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ṣafā
“Purity, clarity, or serenity; also the name of one of the hills at Mecca.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ṣaffā
“He purified, clarified, or sifted something by removing impurities.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
taṣfiya
“Purification, clarification, or the process of making something pure.”
Modern English
English
tasfiyah
“A transliterated Arabic loanword used in English-language Islamic, political, and scholarly writing for purification, cleansing, or clarification.”