أدنى

Elative of دَنِيّ (daniyy, “near, low, mean”), from the roots د ن و (d-n-w) and د ن ي (d-n-y).

أَدْنَى • (ʔadnā) (feminine دُنْيَا (dunyā), masculine plural أَدْنَوْنَ (ʔadnawna) or أَدَانٍ (ʔadānin), feminine plural دُنْيَيَات (dunyayāt) or دُنًى (dunan) or دُنًا (dunan))

1. elative degree of دَنِيّ (daniyy, “near, low, mean”):
   1. nearer, closer; nearest, closest

      الشَّرْق الْأَدْنَى ― aš-šarq al-ʔadnā ― the Near East, as opposed to الشَّرْق الْأَقْصَى (aš-šarq al-ʔaqṣā)

      Antonym: أَقْصَى (ʔaqṣā)

   2. lower; lowest
   3. lowlier; lowliest
   4. of less significance; of least significance
   5. more suitable; most suitable
   6. lesser; least
      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 32:21:

        وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الأَدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

        walanuḏīqannahum mina l-ʕaḏābi al-ʔadnā dūna l-ʕaḏābi l-ʔakbari laʕallahum yarjiʕūna

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   7. inferior
      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:61:

        أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ؟

        ʔatastabdilūna llaḏī huwa ʔadnā bi-llaḏī huwa ḵayrun?

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

From Arabic أَدْنَى (ʔadnā).

• IPA^(key): /ʔad.na/, [ˈʔad.na]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

أدنى • (ʔadna) (feminine دنيا (dunya))

1. lower, lowest, minimum

   Antonym: أعلى (ʔaʕla)

   الحدّ الأدنى للدفع خمسين شيكل.

   il-ḥadd il-ʔadna lad-dafeʔ ḵamsīn šēkel

   The minimum payment is fifty shekels.

   (literally, “The minimum limit for payment is fifty shekels.”)

2. nearer, nearest

   Antonym: أقصى (ʔaqṣa)