Classical Syriac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔabbɑ(ʔ)], [ʔăvɑ(ʔ)]

Noun

ܐܒܐ • ‎(ʾaḇā) m ‎(plural ܐܒܗܬܐ or ܐܒܗܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܐܡܐ)

1. father
2. (in the plural) parents
3. (figuratively) forefather, ancestor, progenitor
4. monk, abbot; bishop
5. chief, leader
6. (figuratively) author, originator, founder, inventor
7. teacher

Inflection

Usage notes

• Usually, the plural ܐܒܗܐ ‎(ʾăḇāhēʾ) is used for literal senses while ܐܒܗܬܐ ‎(ʾăḇāhāṯāʾ) is used for figurative senses.
• The word ܐܒܐ is one of only three nouns in the entire language that have an irregular possessive stem ending in the letter Waw; the other two being ܐܚܐ ‎(ʾaḥḥāʾ, “brother”) and ܚܡܐ ‎(ḥəmāʾ, “father-in-law”).

Derived terms

• ܐܒܗܘܬܐ
• ܐܒܘܬܐ
• ܐܒܝܐ

Etymology 2

Probably from an earlier uncontracted form ܐܢܒܐ ‎(ʾenbāʾ), possibly from Akkadian [script needed] ‎(inbu). Compare Hebrew אֵב ‎(ʾēḇ).

Alternative forms

• ܐܒܒܐ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔɛbbɑ(ʔ)], [ʔabbɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [ʔɛbbe(ʔ)], [ʔabbe(ʔ)], [ʔɛbbɑne(ʔ)], [ʔabbɑne(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܐܒܐ • ‎(transliteration needed) m ‎(plural ܐܒܢܐ or ܐܒܐ)

1. produce, fruit, vegetable

Inflection

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔabbɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [ʔabbe(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܐܒܐ • ‎(transliteration needed) m ‎(plural ܐܒܐ)

1. crocodile

Inflection

References

• “)b”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français : Syriac–English Dictionary, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 1a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 1b-2a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana; Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, p. 1