Arabian Nights' Entertainment

7.0

A collection of old Arabic stories called The Thousand and One Nights

noun
/əˈreɪbiən naɪts ɪnˈtɛrtnmənt/

Literature

: Las mil y una noches

Many movies have drawn inspiration from the stories found in the Arabian Nights' Entertainment.

Examples

As a child, I was fascinated by the magical tales in the Arabian Nights' Entertainment.
He collected rare editions of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment from antique bookstores.
The stories from Arabian Nights' Entertainment are captivating.
Many children enjoy Arabian Nights' Entertainment before bed.
As a child, I was fascinated by the magical tales in the Arabian Nights' Entertainment.
He collected rare editions of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment from antique bookstores.
Many movies have drawn inspiration from the stories found in the Arabian Nights' Entertainment.

Synonyms

Arabian Nights

vsArabian Nights' Entertainment

Literature

1 5.6

A famous set of old stories from the Middle East and South Asia called One Thousand and One Nights

is the same work but uses the longer numeric title form

One Thousand and One Nights

vsArabian Nights' Entertainment

Literature

6.0

A collection of Arabic folk tales from the Middle East, also called Arabian Nights

is the same collection but favours the alternative traditional name

Thousand and One Nights

vsArabian Nights' Entertainment

Literature

4.8

A famous book of stories from the Middle East and South Asia

is the same collection but prefers the fully spelled traditional order

Surface Forms

Arabian Nights' Entertainment singular

Morphology

Arabian + Nights' + entertainment

The phrase combines 'Arabian' (pertaining to Arabia) with 'Nights'' (the Nights, i.e. the famous tales) and 'entertainment' (amusement), so a B1 learner who knows the words will infer it refers to entertainment related to the Arabian Nights stories. Although it functions as a title for a specific collection, its overall meaning is compositionally predictable from the constituents and cross-linguistically recognizable.

Etymology

The noun Arabian Nights' Entertainment comes from the old story of Scheherazade, a clever storyteller who told the king a new tale every night and stopped in the morning so he would want more and 'spare her life'. That's why the name joins Arabian, Nights', and Entertainment and now means a famous book of old stories from the Arab world.