كبش
Arabic
Etymology
A term of cultic significance, borrowed into Arabic from Aramaic, as the consonantism and late occurrence of Akkadian 𒆏𒋢 (kabsu, “young male sheep”) also implies Aramaic borrowing. Compare Soqotri kobɬ (“ram”).
Nöldeke’s and Fraenkel’s estimation of the Classical Syriac ܟܒܫܐ (keḇšā, “wether”), which would have an irregular correspondence if inherited with the Arabic term from Proto-West Semitic *ś (/ɬ/), having been but borrowed from Arabic—a narrative thence until the 21st century repeated throughout the Syriac and Mandaic reference works—is wrong, since it occurs in 5th-century Old Armenian քաւշ (kʿawš), apart from the fact that it would be vocalized *ܟܰܒ݂ܫܳܐ (kaḇšā) rather than ܟܶܒ݂ܫܳܐ (keḇšā) if borrowed from Arabic. Instead it is closer to Hebrew כֶּבֶשׂ (kéḇeś, “sheep”) and Phoenician 𐤊𐤁𐤔 (kbš, “sheep”) and Mingrelian ქაბლა (kabla, “calf”), in which last language ლ (l), contrasted with Svan შ (š), uses to come from Proto-Kartvelian *lʿ (/ɬ/).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kabʃ/
Noun
كَبْش • (kabš) m (plural كِبَاش (kibāš) or أَكْبَاش (ʔakbāš) or أَكْبُش (ʔakbuš) or كُبُوش (kubūš))
- ram, male sheep
- bellwether
- chieftain, chief, head, leader
- battering ram
- Synonym: مِدَقّ (midaqq)
Declension
| Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | كَبْش kabš |
الْكَبْش al-kabš |
كَبْش kabš |
| Nominative | كَبْشٌ kabšun |
الْكَبْشُ al-kabšu |
كَبْشُ kabšu |
| Accusative | كَبْشًا kabšan |
الْكَبْشَ al-kabša |
كَبْشَ kabša |
| Genitive | كَبْشٍ kabšin |
الْكَبْشِ al-kabši |
كَبْشِ kabši |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | كَبْشَيْن kabšayn |
الْكَبْشَيْن al-kabšayn |
كَبْشَيْ kabšay |
| Nominative | كَبْشَانِ kabšāni |
الْكَبْشَانِ al-kabšāni |
كَبْشَا kabšā |
| Accusative | كَبْشَيْنِ kabšayni |
الْكَبْشَيْنِ al-kabšayni |
كَبْشَيْ kabšay |
| Genitive | كَبْشَيْنِ kabšayni |
الْكَبْشَيْنِ al-kabšayni |
كَبْشَيْ kabšay |
| Plural | basic broken plural triptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | كِبَاش; أَكْبَاش; أَكْبُش; كُبُوش kibāš; ʔakbāš; ʔakbuš; kubūš |
الْكِبَاش; الْأَكْبَاش; الْأَكْبُش; الْكُبُوش al-kibāš; al-ʔakbāš; al-ʔakbuš; al-kubūš |
كِبَاش; أَكْبَاش; أَكْبُش; كُبُوش kibāš; ʔakbāš; ʔakbuš; kubūš |
| Nominative | كِبَاشٌ; أَكْبَاشٌ; أَكْبُشٌ; كُبُوشٌ kibāšun; ʔakbāšun; ʔakbušun; kubūšun |
الْكِبَاشُ; الْأَكْبَاشُ; الْأَكْبُشُ; الْكُبُوشُ al-kibāšu; al-ʔakbāšu; al-ʔakbušu; al-kubūšu |
كِبَاشُ; أَكْبَاشُ; أَكْبُشُ; كُبُوشُ kibāšu; ʔakbāšu; ʔakbušu; kubūšu |
| Accusative | كِبَاشًا; أَكْبَاشًا; أَكْبُشًا; كُبُوشًا kibāšan; ʔakbāšan; ʔakbušan; kubūšan |
الْكِبَاشَ; الْأَكْبَاشَ; الْأَكْبُشَ; الْكُبُوشَ al-kibāša; al-ʔakbāša; al-ʔakbuša; al-kubūša |
كِبَاشَ; أَكْبَاشَ; أَكْبُشَ; كُبُوشَ kibāša; ʔakbāša; ʔakbuša; kubūša |
| Genitive | كِبَاشٍ; أَكْبَاشٍ; أَكْبُشٍ; كُبُوشٍ kibāšin; ʔakbāšin; ʔakbušin; kubūšin |
الْكِبَاشِ; الْأَكْبَاشِ; الْأَكْبُشِ; الْكُبُوشِ al-kibāši; al-ʔakbāši; al-ʔakbuši; al-kubūši |
كِبَاشِ; أَكْبَاشِ; أَكْبُشِ; كُبُوشِ kibāši; ʔakbāši; ʔakbuši; kubūši |
References
- Corriente, Federico; Pereira, Christophe; Vicente, Angeles, editors (2017) Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou. Perspectives phraséologiques et étymologiques (in French), Berlin: De Gruyter, page 1089
- Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 109
- Militarev, Alexander; Kogan, Leonid (2005), “*kabŝ- ~ *kabĉ-”, in Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volume II: Animal Names, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 154–155 Nr. 114