# Quick one: Possessive of mujahideen (plural) in English text

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 14, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184 "2007-09-14T15:47:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/1 "2007-09-14T15:47:10Z")

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Singular: _mujahideen_

Singular possessive: _mujahideen’s_

Plural: _mujahideen_?

Plural possessive: _mujahideen’s_?

What say ye?

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/2 "2007-09-14T15:55:15Z")

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According to [m-w.com](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=mujahedeen), _mujahedeen_ is already plural, so I don’t see why the possessive would be any more complicated than _mujahedeen’s_.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/3 "2007-09-14T15:57:44Z")

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never mind

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/4 "2007-09-14T16:37:58Z")

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Thanks!

Next question:

Is is a proper noun (for the anti-Soviet resistance in Afghanistan)? So, capitalized?

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/5 "2007-09-14T17:17:55Z")

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Not according to [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) or Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate, which is what I happen to have at hand. Neither source lists it as a proper noun. It’s simply the plural form of the Arabic word that means “one who wages Jihad.”

I prefer _Fremen_, myself, but that never really caught on, I guess.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-one-possessive-of-mujahideen-plural-in-english-text/419184/6 "2007-09-14T19:05:20Z")

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[QUOTE=acsenray]  
Singular: _mujahideen_  
[/QUOTE]

Singular: _mujahid_ (مجاهد, )