Mafāʿil is called a broken plural because the plural involves changes inside the stem, not just an appended plural ending. The root radicals remain recognizable while the overall template changes.
مَضْرِبٌ ← مَضَارِبُ
مَسْمَعٌ ← مَسَامِعُ
مَسْجِدٌ ← مَسَاجِدُ
These forms show why number cannot always be read from a simple ending such as -ūna or -āt.
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How the broken plural differs
Ism al-Ẓarf: Meaning, Patterns, Paradigm and Derivation
Mafāʿil is called a broken plural because the plural involves changes inside the stem, not just an appended plural ending. The root radicals remain recognizable while the overall template changes.
مَضْرِبٌ ← مَضَارِبُ
مَسْمَعٌ ← مَسَامِعُ
مَسْجِدٌ ← مَسَاجِدُ
These forms show why number cannot always be read from a simple ending such as -ūna or -āt.