Presented by Zia H Shah MD

I read Surah Yasin this morning and found the Arabic word for neck and it is from root word: ع ن ق.

Next, I wanted to find all uses of this root word in the Glorious Quran. My source mentions this root word is used only as a noun in the Quran:

The triliteral root ʿayn nūn qāf (ع ن ق) occurs nine times in the Quran as the noun ʿunuq (عُنُق). The translations below are brief glosses intended as a guide to meaning. An Arabic word may have a range of meanings depending on context. Click on a word for more linguistic information, or to suggestion a correction.

Noun

(8:12:19) l-aʿnāqi	the necks	فَاضْرِبُوا فَوْقَ الْأَعْنَاقِ وَاضْرِبُوا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ
(13:5:19) aʿnāqihim	their necks	وَأُولَٰئِكَ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ
(17:13:6) ʿunuqihi	his neck	وَكُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ
(17:29:6) ʿunuqika	your neck	وَلَا تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَىٰ عُنُقِكَ
(26:4:9) aʿnāquhum	their necks	فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَاقُهُمْ لَهَا خَاضِعِينَ
(34:33:26) aʿnāqi	(the) necks	وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
(36:8:4) aʿnāqihim	their necks	إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ أَغْلَالًا
(38:33:6) wal-aʿnāqi	and the necks	رُدُّوهَا عَلَيَّ فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًا بِالسُّوقِ وَالْأَعْنَاقِ
(40:71:4) aʿnāqihim	their necks	إِذِ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَالسَّلَاسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ

I was a little disappointed that this root word is perhaps not used as a verb in the Quran. Are there any verbs from this root word, was my next question?

When I went to Google in search of verbs with this very root word a new world opened up.

Verbs derived from the Arabic root ع ن ق (ʿ-n-q) generally relate to the neck, embracing, or high quality, often used in Form I, II, III, and V. Key verbs include عَنَقَ (to go quickly), عَنَقَ (to embrace), عَنَّقَ (to stretch the neck), and تَعَنَّقَ (to embrace each other). Wiktionary

Common Verbs from ع ن ق

• عَنَقَ (ʿanaqa) – Form I: To seize by the neck, or to make a camel go quickly.
• عَنَّقَ (ʿannaqa) – Form II: To stretch the neck (e.g., looking at something), or to embrace someone (often in neck/shoulders).
• عَانَقَ (ʿānaqa) – Form III: To embrace or hug someone closely.
• تَعَانَقَ (taʿānaqa) – Form VI: To embrace one another (reciprocal).
• تَعَنَّقَ (taʿannaqa) – Form V: To be embraced or to take by the neck. 

Related Nouns and Vocabulary

• عُنُق (ʿunuq): Neck (masculine or feminine).
• عِنَاق (ʿināq): An embrace/hug.
• عَانِق (ʿāniq): One who embraces. 
• مُعانَقَة (muʿānaqa): The act of embracing (verbal noun).

The Arabic root ع ن ق (ʿ-n-q) is fundamentally associated with the neck (عُنُق – ʿunuq). In Arabic morphology, this root is used to form several verbs, most of which relate to actions involving the neck, physical action or affectionate, close contact. Additionally for, reaching out, stretching or embracing.

Primary Verb Forms

• عَنِقَ (ʿaniqa) – Form I
  • Meaning: To have a long neck; to reach out with the neck.
  • Usage: Often used in a descriptive sense rather than an action-oriented one.
• عَنَّقَ (ʿannaqa) – Form II
  • Meaning: To seize by the neck; to put a collar on.
  • Usage: Indicates a more forceful or repetitive action related to the neck.

• عَانَقَ (ʿānaqa) — Form III
  • Meaning: To embrace, hug, or clasp someone around the neck.
  • Context: This is the most frequently used verb from this root in modern Arabic. It implies a mutual action (hugging each other).
  • Example: عَانَقَ الصَّدِيقُ صَدِيقَهُ (The friend embraced his friend).
• تَعَانَقَ (taʿānaqa) — Form VI
  • Meaning: To embrace each other; to be interlocked.
  • Context: This emphasizes the reciprocity of the hug between two or more people.
  • Example: تَعَانَقَ المسافران عند اللقاء (The two travelers embraced each other upon meeting).
• أَعْنَقَ (ʾaʿnaqa) — Form IV
  • Meaning: To go fast; to gallop; to hasten.
  • Context: Used classically to describe a horse stretching its neck forward while running fast.
• تَعَنَّقَ (taʿannaqa) — Form V
  • Meaning: To cling to or hang onto the neck; to be stubborn.
  • Context: Less common, often used in specific literary or classical contexts.
• اعْتَنَقَ (iʿtanaqa) — Form VIII
  • Meaning: To embrace (a religion, an idea, or a person).
  • Context: While it can mean a physical embrace, it is very commonly used metaphorically for adopting a belief system.
  • Example: اعْتَنَقَ الإِسْلَامَ (He embraced/converted to Islam). 

Epilogue

This degree of organization is not seen in any other language, which suggests that Arabic is a revealed language. Today’s example is one of thousands of other examples, to be shared over time. With 28 alphabets in Arabic the total possible root words are approximately 20,000. There are almost 2000 root words used in the Glorious Quran.