zakat

Meaning

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

Synonyms

tithe

alms

charity

Islamic tax

Translations

zakat

dîme

aumône

Zakât

zakah

zakât

elemosina

zekat

almòina

esmola

azaque

zakat

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”).