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za·kat

(zə-kät, -kăt)

n.
Islam

1. The obligatory contribution of a certain portion of one's wealth in support of the poor or needy or for other charitable purposes, considered as one of the duties of Islamic religious practice.

2. The amount owed or contributed for these purposes.

[Arabic zakāt, zakāh, purity, justness, alms, from Aramaic zākutā, innocence, justification, meritorious deed, from zəkā, to be innocent, be worthy, give alms, from Canaanite zākā or Akkadian zakû, to be pure, become pure, innocent; see ḏkw in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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