بشر

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human being, humanity, humankind, cheerfulness, geniality
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العربية العراقية
Arabic (Mesopotamian)
العربية الشامية
Arabic (Levantine)
العربية الفصحى
Arabic (Standard)
الدارجة المغربية
Arabic (Moroccan)
العربية المصرية
Arabic (Egyptian)
/ˈbaʃar/
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An unvocalized Arabic spelling covering humankind, cheerful openness, rejoicing or giving news, and an old verb for scraping away a surface.
Practice using بشر in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • يَبْشُرُ الصَّانِعُ سَطْحَ الجِلْدِ بِحَذَرٍ.
    The craftsman pares the leather surface carefully.
  • لَا يَفَارِقُ البِشْرُ مُحَيَّاهُ.
    Geniality never leaves his face.
  • جَاءَ الرَّسُولُ يُبَشِّرُ القَوْمَ بِالنَّصْرِ.
    The messenger came bringing the people good news of victory.
  • قَابَلَ ضُيُوفَهُ بِـبِشْرٍ وَتَرْحَابٍ.
    He met his guests with warmth and welcome.
  • بَشِرْتُ بِالخَبَرِ بَعْدَ طُولِ انْتِظَارٍ.
    I was delighted by the news after a long wait.

Similar words

بشاشة
بنو آدم
انشراح
الناس
كشط
سلخ
طلاقة
أعلن
فرح
استبشر

Meanings

Humankind or a human being

noun
humanity
neutral
The human race collectively, or a human being of any sex, with the same form used for one person and for many.

Examples

  • نَحْنُ بَشَرٌ نُخْطِئُ وَنَتَعَلَّمُ.
    We are human beings who make mistakes and learn.
  • مَا هَذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ.
    This is only a human being like you.
  • يَحْتَاجُ البَشَرُ إِلَى المَاءِ لِلْبَقَاءِ.
    Humankind needs water to survive.
  • لَمْ أَرَ بَشَرًا فِي الطَّرِيقِ.
    I did not see a single person on the road.
  • تَغَيَّرَتْ حَيَاةُ البَشَرِ مَعَ التِّقْنِيَةِ.
    The life of humanity changed with technology.

Similar words

إنسان
آدمي
الناس
بنو آدم
الإنسانية

Cheerfulness shown in the face

noun
emotion
literary
A warm, open cheerfulness visible in someone’s face and manner.

Examples

  • اِسْتَقْبَلَنَا بِـبِشْرٍ وَابْتِسَامَةٍ.
    He welcomed us with cheerfulness and a smile.
  • يَبْدُو البِشْرُ عَلَى وَجْهِهَا.
    Joyful warmth shows on her face.
  • لَا يَفَارِقُ البِشْرُ مُحَيَّاهُ.
    Geniality never leaves his face.
  • قَابَلَ ضُيُوفَهُ بِـبِشْرٍ وَتَرْحَابٍ.
    He met his guests with warmth and welcome.
  • زَادَ بِشْرُهُ المَجْلِسَ أُنْسًا.
    His cheerful manner made the gathering more pleasant.

Similar words

بشاشة
طلاقة
سرور
تهلل
انشراح

Become joyful at news

verb
emotion
literary
To rejoice, brighten, or become visibly pleased on receiving something welcome.

Examples

  • بَشِرَ الطِّفْلُ بِعَوْدَةِ أَبِيهِ.
    The child rejoiced at his father’s return.
  • بَشِرْتُ بِالخَبَرِ بَعْدَ طُولِ انْتِظَارٍ.
    I was delighted by the news after a long wait.
  • يَبْشَرُ القَلْبُ بِلِقَاءِ الأَحِبَّةِ.
    The heart rejoices at meeting loved ones.
  • اِبْشَرْ بِمَا سَمِعْتَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ.
    Rejoice in the good you have heard.
  • بَشِرُوا بِالنَّجَاحِ وَتَبَادَلُوا التَّهَانِيَ.
    They rejoiced at the success and exchanged congratulations.

Similar words

فرح
استبشر
سُرَّ
تهلل

Give news that causes a strong reaction

verb
communication
neutral
To announce news to someone, normally good news, though a following phrase may deliberately specify punishment or another bad outcome.

Examples

  • بَشَّرَتْهُ الطَّبِيبَةُ بِسَلَامَةِ الفُحُوصِ.
    The doctor gave him the good news that the tests were clear.
  • بَشِّرُوا النَّاجِحِينَ بِالجَائِزَةِ.
    Tell the successful candidates about the prize.
  • سَأُبَشِّرُكُمْ بِالنَّتِيجَةِ غَدًا.
    I will bring you news of the result tomorrow.
  • جَاءَ الرَّسُولُ يُبَشِّرُ القَوْمَ بِالنَّصْرِ.
    The messenger came bringing the people good news of victory.
  • بَشَّرَهُمْ النَّصُّ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ.
    The text foretold them a painful punishment.

Similar words

أبشر
زفّ البشرى
أخبر
أنبأ
أعلن

Scrape or pare away a surface

verb
craft
archaic
To scrape off an outer layer, especially from hide, skin, or a surface of land.

Examples

  • بَشَرَ الدَّبَّاغُ الأَدِيمَ بِالشَّفْرَةِ.
    The tanner scraped the hide with a blade.
  • يَبْشُرُ الصَّانِعُ سَطْحَ الجِلْدِ بِحَذَرٍ.
    The craftsman pares the leather surface carefully.
  • بَشَرَ الجَرَادُ الأَرْضَ فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ نَبَاتًا.
    The locusts stripped the land and left no plants.
  • أَمَرَ الحَلَّاقَ أَنْ يَبْشُرَ شَارِبَهُ.
    He told the barber to trim his moustache very close.
  • لَا تَبْشُرِ القِشْرَةَ بِشَفْرَةٍ غَيْرِ حَادَّةٍ.
    Do not scrape off the rind with a blunt blade.

Similar words

قشر
سلخ
حكّ
كشط
حفّ

Etymology

From the Arabic root ب ش ر, whose family links visible skin and the change seen in the face when news arrives. The related forms developed senses concerning human beings, open cheerfulness, tidings, and exposing a surface by scraping.

FAQ

What does بَشَر mean?

بَشَر means humankind collectively or a human being of any sex.

Is أبشار the plural of بَشَر?

No. بَشَر normally remains unchanged for one or many humans, while أبشار belongs to another member of the root family.

What is the difference between بَشِرَ and بَشَّرَ?

بَشِرَ is intransitive and means “rejoiced,” while بَشَّرَ is transitive and means “gave someone news.”

What does بِشْر mean?

The literary noun بِشْر means open cheerfulness visible in the face and manner.

Why can بشر have several meanings?

Ordinary Arabic writing omits short vowels and consonant doubling, so several differently vocalized words share the spelling بشر.

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