even from other Adjectives, called Relative Adjectives. Such are adjectives denoting origin, family, country, &c. Their characteristic is the addition of S to the end of the substantive whence they are derived, though the form of the adjective suffers various modifications, owing to the occurrence of the weak letters in the root and to the laws of euphony.

but in this case there is usually نورانی جسمانی ر

as

,

a figurative signification attached, as material, enlightening, not bodily, lucid, which would be expressed in

The Relative Adjective is usually formed from the Singular Number, but in some instances likewise from

W

.a librarian کتبی ,a clockmakeer ساعاتی the plural, as

α

assume the 'forme, as they are derived from Nouns

From the Relative Adjectives, Substantives may be derived by the addition of 8, which then indicate the

Of the same class are such words as dulo quiddity,

كيفية

The Arabs have two Genders, Masculine and Feminine.

Nouns become Feminine from two causes: I. Signification; II. Termination.

1515

Class I. contains two kinds.

1. Those whose nature is necessarily Feminine, as

مريم

.sister اخت

2. Those conventionally Feminine, as names of towns and provinces, and parts of the body which are

double, as Cairo or Egypt, Syria, hand,

الشام مصر

1. In 8, as a garden, darkness.

the earth, the sun, Ey the wind, and

a few other words are used as Feminine Nouns.

The letters of the Alphabet though of either gender, are most commonly treated as Feminine, and a few

other Nouns are common, as spirit, path.

Nouns not included in the foregoing enumeration are Masculine; and even amongst those Feminine by termination some exceptional Masculines may be found,

A similar change of Gender is effected by the same

From this rule صفرا,yellow اصغر نحمرا ,red احمر

If the Adjective be a comparative or superlative, the

Feminine is of the form, as very great, ;

first, which اول ,Similarly . عظم,magnificent اعظم

أآخر latter, for أخر أولى makes وول or أَول

represents

أخرى makes

اخدى one, makes in the Feminine

Adjectives of the form usually form their Femi

131

-3

ز غضبی,angry غضبان فعلی nine on the model of

,

1349

غضبانة But not invariably, for سکری drunken سكران

are also allowable; and in those of the form

سكرانة

,naled عریان this is the regular Feminine, as فعلان

as also Adjectives and

Superlatives where the term of comparison is expressed, and Comparatives in all cases are invariable in Gender.

5

Except poor, which makes in the Feminine

5

مسكينة

فعول and فعيل The forms

are sometimes variable and sometimes, invariable in Gender. When the first has an active, or the second a passive signification, they admit a distinction of Gender whether the substantive be expressed or understood; when the first has a passive or the second an active signification, they only admit a distinction when the subject is understood.