# مثل
## Arabic
### Etymology 1

Compare Hebrew מָשָׁל (mašál, “example”).

#### Verb

مَثَلَ • (maṯala) I (non-past يَمْثُلُ (yamṯulu), verbal noun مُثُول (muṯūl))
* to resemble, to look like
* to imitate, to copy
* to compare, to liken [with accusative ‘someone’ and بِ (bi) ‘with’]
* to represent, to mean, to signify, to stand for
* to present oneself, to stand, to appear [with أَمَامَ (ʔamāma) ‘before’]
* to come forth, to come forward, to enter, to appear

##### Conjugation
#### Verb

مَثَّلَ • (maṯṯala) II (non-past يُمَثِّلُ (yumaṯṯilu), verbal noun تَمْثِيل (tamṯīl) or تَمْثَال (tamṯāl))
* to portray, to play, to present
* to represent, to stand for, to be exemplary for, to account for
    يهاجر هو وأتباعه من مكة إلى المدينة المنورة (المعروفة آنذاك باسم يثرب) في وقت لاحق من عام 622 ويُمَثِّلُ هذا الحدث٬ الهجرة٬ بداية التقويم الإسلامي.(please add an English translation of this usage example)[translit?]
* to make to resemble, to make to look like
* to make similar, to make analogous
* to assimilate
* to quote as example [with accusative or بِ (bi) or لِ (li) or عَلَى (ʕalā) ‘for’]
* to compare, to liken [with accusative ‘someone’ and بِ (bi) ‘with’]
* to punish severely, to treat harshly [with بِ (bi) ‘someone’]
* to maim, to mutilate [with بِ (bi) ‘someone’]

##### Conjugation
### Etymology 2
#### Noun

مِثْل • (miṯl) m (plural أَمْثَال (ʔamṯāl))
* something similar
    رَجُلٌ مِثْلُهُ ― rajulun miṯluhu ― a man like him
    فِي مِثْلِ هٰذِهِ ٱلظُّرُوفِ ― fī miṯli hāḏihi ẓ-ẓurūfi ― under circumstances like these
    جَمِيعُ ٱلْأَطِبَّاءِ مِثْلِكَ / أَمْثَالِكَ ― jamīʕu l-ʔaṭibbāʔi miṯlika / ʔamṯālika ― all doctors like you.
    هُنَاكَ عَشَرَاتٌ مِثْلُهُ / أَمْثَالُهُ.hunāka ʕašarātun miṯluhu / ʔamṯāluhu.There are dozens like it.
    اِفْعَلْهُ مِثْلَنَا! ― ifʕalhu miṯlanā! ― Do it like us!
* resemblance, similarity, likeness
* image
* equivalent

##### Usage notes

* This word is used for the meaning of "like, similar to", but it isn't considered a preposition in Arabic. It's a noun used in apposition and declined according to the noun it follows.
* It can also stand without the noun it describes, especially in accusative where an omitted masdar is often assumed اِفْعَلْهُ (فِعْلًا) مِثْلَنَا ― ifʕalhu (fiʕlan) miṯlanā ― Do it (the way which is) like us.
* The dual and plural forms can be used if following a dual or plural noun, but aren't necessary.

##### Descendants

* South Levantine Arabic: متل (mitl)
* → Ottoman Turkish: مِثْل (misl)
** Turkish: misil
* → Pashto: مِثْل
* → Persian: مِثْل (mesl)
* → Punjabi: ਮਿਸਲ (misal), مِثْل (mis̱l)
** → English: misl
* → Swahili: mithili

##### See also

* كَـ (ka-), نَظِير (naẓīr), سِيّ (siyy)

### Etymology 3

Cognate with Hebrew מָשָׁל (mashál, “proverb, allegory”).

#### Noun

مَثَل • (maṯal) m (plural أَمْثَال (ʔamṯāl))
* likeness
* metaphor, simile, parable
* proverb, adage
* example
* lesson
* ideal, model

##### Derived terms

* ضَرَبَ مَثَلًا (ḍaraba maṯalan)
* مَثَلًا (maṯalan)

##### Descendants

* → Azerbaijani: məsəl
* → Ottoman Turkish: مثل (mesel)
** Turkish: mesel
* → Pashto: مَثَل
* → Persian: مَثَل (masal)
* → Swahili: methali
* → Uyghur: مەسەل (mesel)

### Etymology 4
#### Noun

مُثُل • (muṯul) pl
* plural of مِثَال (miṯāl)

#### Noun

مُثْل • (muṯl) pl
* plural of مِثَال (miṯāl)

### References

* Wehr, Hans (1979) “مثل”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN
* Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (2020) “مثل”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart (in German), 6th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 852

## Pashto
### Etymology 1

From Arabic مِثْل (miṯl).

#### Noun

مثل • (misl) m
* similarity, likeness
    په مثل د ― in the likeness of, (resembling)
* copy

### Etymology 2

From Arabic مَثَل (maṯal).

#### Noun

مثل • (masál) m
* example, model

## Persian
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic مِثْل (miṯl).

#### Pronunciation

(noun)
* (Classical Persian) IPA: [misl]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mɪsl]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mɪsl]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [mɪsl]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [misl̥]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [mesl̥]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [misl]
(preposition, with ezâfe)
* (Classical Persian) IPA: [mis.li]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mɪs.lɪ]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mɪs.lɪ]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [mɪs.lɪ]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [mis.li]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [mes.le]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [mes.le]
** (Tehrani) IPA: [me.se]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [mis.li]

#### Noun

مثل • (mesl)
* resemblance, similarity

#### Preposition

مثل • (mesl-e)
* like
    Synonyms: مانند (mânand), نظیر (nazir), (literary) همانند (hamânand)
    مثل تو نیستم. ― mesl-e to nistam. ― I'm not like you.
    چرا می‌خوای مثل من حرف بزنی؟čerâ mi-xây mesl-e man harf be-zani?Why do you want to talk like me?
** c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume IV, verse 422:کان دلیر آخر مثال شیر بود، نیست مثل شیر در جمله‌ی حدودk-ân delir âxer mesl-e šir bud, nist mesl-e šir dar jomle-ye hodud.For, after all, the courageous man did resemble the lion, [though] he is not like the lion in all points of the definition.

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic مَثَل (maṯal).

#### Pronunciation

* (Classical Persian) IPA: [ma.sal]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mä.säl]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mä.säl]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [mä.säl]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [mä.säl̥]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [mæ.sæl̥]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [mä.säl]

#### Noun

مثل • (masal)
* proverb

##### Related terms

* ضرب‌المثل (zarb-ol-masal)

## South Levantine Arabic
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Arabic مَثَّلَ (maṯṯala).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maθ.θal/, [ˈmaθ.θal]
* IPA: /mas.sal/, [ˈmas.sal]
* Audio (al-Lidd):(file)

### Verb

مثّل • (maṯṯal) II (present بمثّل (bimaṯṯel))
* to act
* to represent