broken plural

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An irregular plural formed by changing the pattern of consonants and vowels inside the singular form, found in the Semitic languages and other Afroasiatic languages such as Berber. An example in Arabic is مَكَاتِب (makātib, “desks”), the plural form of مَكْتَب (maktab, “desk”).

Word forms

broken plural broken plurals

Etymology

Calque of Arabic جَمْع مُكَسَّر (jamʕ mukassar).

Antonyms

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