Girl · Arabic (Urdu usage) · Muslim
Basma
بسمہSay it BAS-ma
Basma meaning
Basma (بسمہ) is a Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin (Urdu usage).
A smile; from basama, to smile
Also used to mean: smiling
Basma (بسمہ) is Arabic for "a smile", from the root b-s-m. Lane's lexicon gives the verb basama, "he smiled", which the early grammarians describe as less than laughing: opening the lips a little, without sound. Basma is the form for a single smile. From the same root come bāsim and bāsima, "smiling", and tabassum, the Urdu word for a smile that is itself a girl's name. In the Quran, Solomon smiles at the words of an ant (27:19). Name lists give Basma as "smile", in line with the dictionary.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 1, p. 206 · entry basm, tabassama (root b-s-m) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, tabassama / basm, Book I p. 206 · Quran 27:19
Spellings
Basma · Basmah · Besma