athar
|a-thar|
🇺🇸
/ˈɑːθɑr/
🇬🇧
/ˈɑːθɑː/
trace; mark; effect
Etymology
'athar' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'أثر' (athar), where the root meant 'trace, mark, footprint'.
'athar' entered Persian and Urdu with the same sense and was later adopted into English scholarship and Orientalist literature in the 18th–19th centuries as a loanword retaining its original sense.
Initially it meant 'trace' or 'mark', and over time it has been used in English both for physical vestiges ('relic') and for abstract effects or influences ('impact').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a trace, mark, vestige, or relic left by something past.
Archaeologists recorded the athar of the ancient settlement.
Synonyms
Noun 2
an effect or influence produced by an event or action.
The social athar of the reforms was felt for decades.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/10 12:38