إصبع

إصبع

Arabic

Root
ص ب ع‎ (ṣ-b-ʿ)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔiṣbaʕ-. Akin to Hebrew אצבע‎, Aramaic אֶצְבְּעָא‎ (ʾeṣbəʿā), Classical Syriac ܨܒܥܐ‎ (ṣeḇʿā), Tigrinya ኣጻብዕ (ʾaṣabʿ), Coptic ⲧⲏⲃ (tēb), Ugaritic 𐎜𐎕𐎁𐎓 (ủṣbʿ), Egyptian ḏbꜥ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔisˤ.baʕ/

• Audio

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Noun

إِصْبَع • (ʾiṣbaʿ) f or m (plural أَصَابِع‎ (ʾaṣābiʿ))

1. finger
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:19:

     ‏أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ‎

     ʾaw kaṣayyibin mina s-samāʾi fīhi ẓulumātun waraʿdun wabarqun yajʿalūna ʾaṣābiʿahum fī ʾāḏānihim ḥaḏara l-mawti

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

2. toe
3. piano key
4. popsicle
5. lollipop

Usage notes

Generally feminine.

Declension

Declension of noun إِصْبَع (ʾiṣbaʿ)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِصْبَع ʾiṣbaʿ	الْإِصْبَع‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿ	إِصْبَع ʾiṣbaʿ
Nominative	إِصْبَعٌ ʾiṣbaʿun	الْإِصْبَعُ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿu	إِصْبَعُ ʾiṣbaʿu
Accusative	إِصْبَعًا‎ ʾiṣbaʿan	الْإِصْبَعَ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿa	إِصْبَعَ ʾiṣbaʿa
Genitive	إِصْبَعٍ ʾiṣbaʿin	الْإِصْبَعِ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿi	إِصْبَعِ ʾiṣbaʿi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِصْبَعَيْن‎ ʾiṣbaʿayn	الْإِصْبَعَيْن‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿayn	إِصْبَعَيْ‎ ʾiṣbaʿay
Nominative	إِصْبَعَانِ‎ ʾiṣbaʿāni	الْإِصْبَعَانِ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿāni	إِصْبَعَا‎ ʾiṣbaʿā
Accusative	إِصْبَعَيْنِ‎ ʾiṣbaʿayni	الْإِصْبَعَيْنِ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿayni	إِصْبَعَيْ‎ ʾiṣbaʿay
Genitive	إِصْبَعَيْنِ‎ ʾiṣbaʿayni	الْإِصْبَعَيْنِ‎ al-ʾiṣbaʿayni	إِصْبَعَيْ‎ ʾiṣbaʿay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَصَابِع‎ ʾaṣābiʿ	الْأَصَابِع‎ al-ʾaṣābiʿ	أَصَابِع‎ ʾaṣābiʿ
Nominative	أَصَابِعُ‎ ʾaṣābiʿu	الْأَصَابِعُ‎ al-ʾaṣābiʿu	أَصَابِعُ‎ ʾaṣābiʿu
Accusative	أَصَابِعَ‎ ʾaṣābiʿa	الْأَصَابِعَ‎ al-ʾaṣābiʿa	أَصَابِعَ‎ ʾaṣābiʿa
Genitive	أَصَابِعَ‎ ʾaṣābiʿa	الْأَصَابِعِ‎ al-ʾaṣābiʿi	أَصَابِعِ‎ ʾaṣābiʿi

Derived terms

• صَبَعَ‎ (ṣabaʿa, “to point with the finger”)
• صَبَّعَ‎ (ṣabbaʿa, “to finger”)
• صَبِيع‎ (ṣabīʿ, “carbuncle”)
• تَصَبَّعَ‎ (taṣabbaʿa, “to digitate, to form finger-like structures or carbuncles”)

References

• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881), “صبع”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes (in French), volume 1, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 815–816
• Kogan, Leonid (2011), “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 224
• Lane, Edward William (1863), “صبع”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1646–1647
• Wehr, Hans (1979), “صبع”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN, page 586