# نصراني
## Arabic
### Alternative forms

* نَصْرَان (naṣrān), نَصْرِي (naṣrī) — obsolete

### Etymology

Relative adjective (nisba) composed of نَاصِرَة (nāṣira) +‎ ـَانـ (-ān-) +‎ ـِيّ (-iyy), based on a modified form of النَّاصِرَة (an-nāṣira, “Nazareth”). Compare Hebrew נוֹצְרִי (nots'rí) and Classical Syriac ܢܵܨܪܵܝܵܐ (nāṣrāyā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nasˤ.raː.nijj/

### Adjective

نَصْرَانِيّ • (naṣrāniyy) (feminine نَصْرَانِيَّة (naṣrāniyya), masculine plural نَصَارَى (naṣārā), feminine plural نَصْرَانِيَّات (naṣrāniyyāt) or نَصَارَى (naṣārā))
* Christian
    Synonym: مَسِيحِيّ (masīḥiyy)
* (rare or obsolete) Nazarene
    Synonym: نَاصِرِيّ (nāṣiriyy)

#### Declension
### Noun

نَصْرَانِيّ • (naṣrāniyy) m (plural نَصَارَى (naṣārā), feminine نَصْرَانِيَّة (naṣrāniyya))
* a Christian
    Synonym: مَسِيحِيّ (masīḥiyy)
** 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:67:مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَٰكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًاmā kāna ʔibrāhīmu yahūdiyyan walā naṣrāniyyan walākin kāna ḥanīfan muslimanNeither was Abraham a Jew nor a Christian but rather he was an upright Muslim
* (rare or obsolete) a Nazarene
    Synonym: نَاصِرِيّ (nāṣiriyy)
** 1992, Biblica, New Arabic Version [Kitab El Hayat] (NAV), Acts 24:5:وَجَدْنَا هَذَا الْمُتَّهَمَ مُخَرِّباً، يُثِيرُ الْفِتْنَةَ بَيْنَ جَمِيعِ الْيَهُودِ فِي الْبِلادِ كُلِّهَا، وَهُوَ يَتَزَعَّمُ مَذْهَبَ النَّصَارَىwajadnā haḏā l-muttahama muḵarriban, yuṯīru l-fitnata bayna jamīʕi l-yahūdi fī l-bilādi kullihā, wahuwa yatazaʕʕamu maḏhaba l-nnaṣārāWe found this accused man to be a saboteur, stirring up discord among all the Jews in the entire land. He spearheads the sect of the Nazarenes.

#### Derived terms

* نَصْرَانِيَّة (naṣrāniyya, “Christianity”)

#### Related terms

* نَصَّرَ (naṣṣara, “to Christianize”)

#### Descendants

* Egyptian Arabic: نصراني (naṣrāni)
* Maltese: Nisrani
* Moroccan Arabic: نصراني (naṣrāni)
* South Levantine Arabic: نصراني (naṣrāni)
* → Farefare: nasaara
* → Malay: Nasrani, Serani
** Indonesian: Nasrani, Serani
* → Malayalam: നസ്രാണി (nasrāṇi)
* → Moore: nasaara
* → Turkish: Nasrani

### Usage notes

* Although the word and its nominal derivative, نَصْرَانِيَّة (naṣrāniyya, “Christianity”), are occasionally found in the works of some medieval Christian writers who composed in Classical Arabic, such as Ibn al-Ṭayyib and Ibn al-Ḵammār, it is now almost never used as a self-designation by Arabic-speaking Christians and is widely considered politically incorrect or outright offensive and derogatory, at least in countries with relevant Christian populations. Since نَصْرَانِيّ (naṣrāniyy) is the word used for “Christian” in the Quran and has been the primary designation for Christians in virtually all Islamic texts for centuries, it intends heavy religious connotations and thus still retains currency in Islamic religious discourse, but even there مَسِيحِيّ (masīḥiyy) may sometimes be used.

### References

* Ahrens, Karl (1930) “Christliches im Qoran. Eine Nachlese”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎ (in German), volume 84, page 25
* Lane, Edward William (1863) “نصراني”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎, London: Williams & Norgate

## Malay
### Proper noun

نصراني
* Jawi spelling of Nasrani‎.

## South Levantine Arabic

* Root
* ن ص ر
* 3 terms

### Etymology

From Arabic نَصْرَانِيّ (naṣrāniyy).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nasˤ.raː.ni/, [nɑsˤˈrˤɑː.ni]
* Audio (Ramallah):(file)

### Noun

نصراني • (naṣrāni) m (plural نصارى (naṣāra), feminine نصرانيّة (naṣrāniyye))
* Christian (mainly used by Muslims)
    Synonym: مسيحي (masīḥi)