Wordwyrt

sofa

/ˈsəʊfə/SOH-fuh
/ˈsoʊfə/SOH-fuh

Meaningto set in a row

Common meaning: a long padded seat with a back

Journey through time

  1. Arabicsaffa‘to set in a row’source
  2. Arabicmeaning shiftsto set in a row → a raised bench for recliningsuffah‘a raised bench for reclining’source
  3. Englishmeaning shiftsa raised bench for reclining → a long padded seat with a backsofa‘a long padded seat with a back’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Arabic saffa ‘to set in a row’.

Roots

  • saffa Arabic “to set in a row”

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