Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
عَلَم
'alam
Proper noun (alam)
Nahw · syntaxWord classcore term2,803+ in the Qur'an
In one line
A proper noun — a name that picks out its owner all by itself: مُحَمَّد, مَكَّة, زَيْد.
Classical definition
اسْمٌ يُعَيِّنُ الْمُسَمَّى مُطْلَقًا • عَلَمُهُ كَجَعْفَرٍ وَخِرْنِقَا
“A noun that singles out the one it names, absolutely, is its 'alam — like Ja'far and Khirniq.”
(ألفية ابن مالك)
Key words in the Arabic
يُعَيِّنُsingles out, pins down
الْمُسَمَّىthe one named
مُطْلَقًاabsolutely — with no helper needed
Understand it
The 'alam is definite by itself: say زَيْد and everyone knows which person you mean, with no ال and no pointing needed. Names of people, places and tribes all qualify. Note one surprise: most proper names still carry tanwin (مُحَمَّدٌ، زَيْدٌ) — here tanwin is simply the noun's normal ending and says nothing about indefiniteness.
How to spot it
Recognition test
A name that answers “which one?” by itself — no ال, no pointing, no idafa needed — is an 'alam.
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