# طاعون
## Arabic
### Etymology

Of the root ط ع ن (ṭ-ʕ-n). The pattern suggests a borrowing from Classical Syriac ܛܳܥܘܿܢܳܐ (ṭāʿōnā) from ܛܥܷܢ (ṭʿen, “to carry”), related to Arabic ظَعَنَ (ẓaʕana, “to depart”), though the Syriac is not known to mean a disease but “carrier”. The semantic evolution would either be via “to carry as a burden, to endure“ with the ailment understood as hardship, or via “transport” developing the meaning of transmission, the plague being transmitted quickly by vectors. Compare also the other Arabic name of the disease, مُوتَان (mūtān) from another Semitic language.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tˤaː.ʕuːn/

### Noun

طَاعُون • (ṭāʕūn) m (plural طَوَاعِين (ṭawāʕīn))
* epidemic disease, plague, pestilence, pest

#### Synonyms

* وَبَأ (wabaʔ), وَبَاء (wabāʔ), مُوتَان (mūtān)

#### Descendants

* → Azerbaijani: taun
* → Malay: taun
** Indonesian: taun
* → Medieval Latin: althaum, althoin
* → Ottoman Turkish: طاعون (taʼun)
** Turkish: taun
* → Persian: طاعون
** → Urdu: طاعُون (tā'ūn)
** → Gujarati: તાઊન (tāūna)
* → Uzbek: toun

### References

* “ṭˁwn$^2$”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
* Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 265
* Steiger, Arnald (1960) “Voces de origen oriental contenidas en el Tesoro lexicográfico de Samuel Gili Gaya”, in Revista de Filología Española‎ (in Spanish), volume 43, numbers 1.$^o$–2.$^o$, →DOI, page 53

## Ottoman Turkish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic طَاعُون (ṭāʕūn, “plague”), probably from Classical Syriac ܛܳܥܘܿܢܳܐ (ṭāʿōnā).

### Noun

طاعون • (taʼun) (plural طواعین (tavaʼin))
* plague, bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis
    Synonyms: چوما (çuma), وبا (veba), یومروجق (yumrucak)
* plague, pest, an epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but specifically by the bubonic plague

#### Derived terms

* طاعونی (taʼunî, “pestilential”)

#### Descendants

* Turkish: taun

### Further reading

* Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “taun”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 4640
* Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “tâûn”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎ (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 1244
* Kélékian, Diran (1911) “طاعون”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎, Constantinople: Mihran, page 792
* Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Pestis”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎, Vienna, column 1292
* Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “طاعون”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎, Vienna, column 3069
* Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “taun”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
* Redhouse, James W. (1890) “طاعون”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1224

## Urdu
### Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian طاعُون (tā'ūn), from Arabic طَاعُون (ṭāʕūn).

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Urdu) IPA: /t̪ɑː.(ʔ)uːn/
* Rhymes: -uːn
* Hyphenation: طا‧عُون

### Noun

طاعُون • (tā'ūn) m (Hindi spelling ताऊन)
* plague
* epidemic
    Synonym: وَبا (vabā)

#### Declension

Declension of طاعون :
| | singular | plural |
| direct | طاعُون (tā'ūn) | طاعُون (tā'ūn) |
| oblique | طاعُون (tā'ūn) | طاعُونوں (tā'ūnō̃) |
| vocative | طاعُون (tā'ūn) | طاعُونو (tā'ūnō) |

### References

* “طاعون”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
* “طاعون”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
* Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “طاعون”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.