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

  • زَادَ بِشْرُهُ المَجْلِسَ أُنْسًا.
    His cheerful manner made the gathering more pleasant.
  • لَمْ أَرَ بَشَرًا فِي الطَّرِيقِ.
    I did not see a single person on the road.
  • جَاءَ الرَّسُولُ يُبَشِّرُ القَوْمَ بِالنَّصْرِ.
    The messenger came bringing the people good news of victory.
  • يَبْدُو البِشْرُ عَلَى وَجْهِهَا.
    Joyful warmth shows on her face.
  • بَشِّرُوا النَّاجِحِينَ بِالجَائِزَةِ.
    Tell the successful candidates about the prize.

Similar words

أبشر
فرح
تهلل
استبشر
آدمي
سلخ
الإنسانية
انشراح
أعلن
كشط

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.

Usage

Use بَشَر for humans as mortal, embodied beings or for humankind collectively. إنسان more readily identifies an individual person, while الناس is the ordinary word for people as a group. Do not form a regular plural.

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.

Common mistakes

The collective noun is wrongly given a regular plural or confused with أبشار, which belongs to بشرة in a different sense.
IncorrectCorrect
هؤلاء بشرون صالحون. هؤلاء بشر صالحون.
تعاون الأبشار لبناء المدينة. تعاون البشر لبناء المدينة.
هذه بشرة تعمل في المستشفى. هذه إنسانة تعمل في المستشفى.

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.

Usage

Use بِشْر in elevated prose for a welcoming brightness of expression. It is more literary than بشاشة and more outwardly visible than فرح, which names the feeling of joy itself.

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.

Common mistakes

The literary noun بِشْر is confused with بَشَر “humankind” or used where the ordinary word for happiness is required.
IncorrectCorrect
ظهر البَشَر على وجهه. ظهر البِشْر على وجهه.
شعرت ببشر شديد بعد النجاح. شعرت بفرح شديد بعد النجاح.
استقبلنا ببَشَر وابتسامة. استقبلنا ببِشْر وابتسامة.

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.

Usage

Use vocalized بَشِرَ for the intransitive act of becoming glad. It is more literary than فَرِحَ and differs from transitive بَشَّرَ, which means giving news to someone else.

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.

Common mistakes

The intransitive بَشِرَ is replaced by the transitive form or given a direct object.
IncorrectCorrect
بَشِرَتْهُ النتيجة. بَشِرَ بالنتيجة.
أنا بَشَّرْتُ بالخبر ففرحت. أنا بَشِرْتُ بالخبر ففرحت.
بَشِرَ صديقه الخبر. بَشِرَ صديقه بالخبر.

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.

Usage

Use vocalized بَشَّرَ with the recipient directly and the news after بِـ. It is more celebratory than أخبر and more personal than أعلن. Although بشارة normally suggests good news, explicit wording can make the announced outcome bad.

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.

Common mistakes

The recipient after بَشَّرَ is incorrectly introduced by إلى, or the news loses its required بِـ.
IncorrectCorrect
بَشَّرَ إلى أمه بالنجاح. بَشَّرَ أمه بالنجاح.
بَشَّرَهم النصر. بَشَّرَهم بالنصر.
أنا بَشَرُك بالخبر. أنا أُبَشِّرُك بالخبر.

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.

Usage

Use vocalized بَشَرَ for the old technical sense of scraping or paring a surface. It is more specific and archaic than قَشَرَ, while حَكَّ describes rubbing or scratching without necessarily removing a layer.

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.

Common mistakes

The scraping verb is confused with the noun for humanity or with the more usual verb قَشَرَ in ordinary contexts.
IncorrectCorrect
بَشَرَ الرجلُ سعيدٌ. الرجلُ بشرٌ سعيدٌ.
بَشِرَ الدباغ الأديم بالشفرة. بَشَرَ الدباغ الأديم بالشفرة.
بَشَرَ الطفلُ البرتقالةَ في كلام يومي. قَشَرَ الطفلُ البرتقالةَ.

Similar words

قشر
سلخ
حكّ
كشط
حفّ

Usage

Read the vowel pattern and sentence structure carefully. بَشَر names humankind, بِشْر names visible cheerfulness, بَشِرَ means becoming glad, بَشَّرَ means giving news, and بَشَرَ can mean scraping a surface.

Common mistakes

أبشار is not the plural of بَشَر “humankind,” which normally keeps one collective form. Missing vowel marks can also hide the difference between the noun, the rejoicing verb, the news-giving verb, and the scraping verb.

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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