Core sense — a female slave, a handmaidgenerated
1a female slave; a woman whose condition is that of slavery—اموة
This is the original form, but whether it is أَمَوَةٌ or أَمْوَةٌ is disputed, as appears below.
Opposite of حُرَّةٌ. [In relation to God, best rendered a handmaid.]
Ibn-Keysán: dual أَمَتَانِ; plural آمٍ, like قِاضٍ, a plural of paucity [on which see what follows after the other plurals]; and إِمَآءٌ [the most common form], and إِمْوَانٌ, and أُمْوَانٌ, and أَمْوَانٌ [the last, or last but one, according to different copies of the M, on the authority of Lh], and أَمَوَاتٌ, for which one may say أَمَاتٌ.
According to Sb and Mbr it is originally أَمَوَةٌ, because it has the plural آمٍ, which is [originally أَأْمُوٌ] of the measure أَفْعُلٌ, like آكُمٌ, plural of أَكَمَةٌ, and like أَيْنُقٌ [plural of نَاقةٌ, which is originally نَوَقةٌ]; for a singular of the measure فَعْلَةٌ does not have a plural of this form.
Mbr says that there is no noun of two letters from which a letter has not been dropped, and that the noun shows this by its plural or dual, or by a verb if a verb is derived from it. Or it is originally فَعْلَةٌ.
AHeyth says that they dropped its final radical letter, and, forming a plural from it after the manner of نَخْلَةٌ and نَخْلٌ, instead of saying أَمٌ, which they disliked as having only two letters, they transposed the dropped و, changing it into ا and placing it between the ا and the م.
[This opinion is said to be preferable, though it does not account for the ending of the plural آمٍ.]
the handmaid of God came to me—جَآءَ تْنِىً أَمَةُ اللّٰهِ
Ibn-Keysán: in the dual, جَآءَ تْنِى أمَتَا اللّٰهِ; and in the plural, جَآءَ نِى إِمَآءُ اللّٰهِ, and إِمْوَانُ اللّٰهِ, and أَمَوَاتُ اللّٰهِ; and one may also say أَمَاتُ اللّٰه.
ISd says: وَمَاهُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمَةٍ بحَجَرٍ is mentioned by IAar as said in calling down evil on a man; but I think it is من كلّ أَمْتِ [May God cast a stone at him from every high place, or the like].
Qur’ānic occurrences أَمَة 1 shown of 2
24:32
وَأَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْأَيَـٰمَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَآئِكُمْ ۚ إِن يَكُونُوا۟ فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌMarry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasseth all, and he knoweth all things.
Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.
Show Lane's original text
, originally اموة , (Msb,) [but whether أَمَوَةٌ or أَمْوَةٌ is disputed, as will be seen in what follows,] A female slave; (M, K;) a woman whose condition is that of slavery; (T;) contr. of حُرَّةٌ : (S:) [in relation to God, best rendered a handmaid:] dual أَمَتَانِ : (Msb:) pl. آمٍ , (Lth, T, S, M, Msb, K, &c.,) like قِاضٍ , (Msb,) a pl. of pauc. [respecting which see what follows after the other pls.], (Lth, T,) and إِمَآءٌ [the most common form] (T, S, M, Mgh, Msb, K) and إِمْوَانٌ (T, S, M, Msb, K) and أُمْوَانٌ (K, and so in some copies of the M) and أَمْوَانٌ (K, and so in some copies of the M) [the last, or last but one, accord. to different copies of the M, on the authority of Lh,] and أَمَوَاتٌ , (M, Msb, K,) for which one may say أَمَاتٌ . (Ibn-Keysán, TA.) Accord. to Sb (M) and Mbr (TA) it is originally أَمَوَةٌ , (S, M, K,) because it has for a pl. آمٍ , (S, M,) which is [originally أَأْمُوٌ ,] of the measure أَفْعُلٌ , (Lth, T, S,) like آكُمٌ , pl. of أَكَمَةٌ , (Sb, M,) and like أَيْنُقٌ , [pl. of نَاقةٌ , which is originally نَوَقةٌ ,] for a sing. of the measure فَعْلَةٌ has not a pl. of this form; (S;) and Mbr says that there is no noun of two letters but a letter has been dropped from it, which it indicates by its pl. or dual, or by a verb if it is derived therefrom: (TA:) or it is originally فَعْلَةٌ : (AHeyth, T, K:) AHeyth says that they suppressed its final radical letter, and, forming a pl. from it after the manner of نَخْلَةٌ and نَخْلٌ , instead of saying أَمٌ , which they disliked as being of only two letters, they transposed the suppressed و , changing it into ا , and placing it between the ا and م . (T: [in which this opinion, though it does not account for the termination of the pl. آمٍ , is said to be preferable.]) One says, جَآءَ تْنِىً أَمَةُ اللّٰهِ [The handmaid of God came to me]: and in the dual, جَآءَ تْنِى أمَتَا اللّٰهِ : and in the pl., جَآءَ نِى إِمَآءُ اللّٰهِ and إِمْوَانُ اللّٰهِ and أَمَوَاتُ اللّٰهِ ; and one may also say, أَمَاتُ اللّٰه . (Ibn-Keysán, TA.) [ISd says,] وَمَاهُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمَةٍ بحَجَرٍ is mentioned by IAar as said in imprecating evil on a man; but I think it is من كلّ أَمْتِ [May God cast a stone at him from every elevated place, or the like]. (M.)