zakat

Meaning

Almsgiving, one of the five pillars of Islam, in the form of an annual tax on certain types of property which is then used for charitable purposes.

Synonyms

tithe

alms

charity

Islamic tax

Hyphenated as

za‧kat

Pronounced as (IPA)

/zəˈkɑːt/

Etymology

Borrowed from:
* Persian زکات (zakât);
* Turkish zekât, from Ottoman Turkish زكات (zekat); or
* Urdu زَکَات (zakāt);
all from Arabic زَكَاة (zakāh, “almsgiving, zakat; purification”), from زَكَوٰة (zakāh) (archaic), from Aramaic זכותא/ܙܟܘܬܐ (zākūṯā, “goodness, probity, uprightness; merit; victory”), from זכי (zəḵē, “to gain; to overcome, triumph over”).