حرباء
Arabic
حِرْبَاء
Etymology
- From حَرْبَة (ḥarba, “dart, javelin; weapon in a general sense”) from the root ح ر ب (ḥ-r-b); likely a reference to the projectile-like tongue of a chameleon. Cognate with Akkadian 𒁇𒁯𒁯𒉡 (/ḫurbabillu/, “chameleon”) and Eblaite 𒄯𒁀𒌝 (ḫur.ba.um, “chameleon”).
- Deriving from the root ح ر ب (ḥ-r-b) in the sense of "becoming enraged or to grow agitated", as the changing of color is used idiomatically to denote changes in states or moods in Semitic Languages.
- Alternatively, philologist Georg Freytag lists it as from a Persian خربا (xorbā) (> خوربان (xwarbān, “sun-keeper”)), giving the meaning “guardian of the sun”; perhaps related to Persian آفتابپرست (âftâb-parast, “chameleon”, literally “sun-worshiper”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ħir.baːʔ/
Noun
حِرْبَاء • (ḥirbāʾ) m (plural حَرَابِيّ (ḥarābiyy))
- chameleon
Declension
Declension of noun حِرْبَاء (ḥirbāʾ)
| Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | حِرْبَاء ḥirbāʾ | الْحِرْبَاء al-ḥirbāʾ | حِرْبَاء ḥirbāʾ |
| Nominative | حِرْبَاءٌ ḥirbāʾun | الْحِرْبَاءُ al-ḥirbāʾu | حِرْبَاءُ ḥirbāʾu |
| Accusative | حِرْبَاءً ḥirbāʾan | الْحِرْبَاءَ al-ḥirbāʾa | حِرْبَاءَ ḥirbāʾa |
| Genitive | حِرْبَاءٍ ḥirbāʾin | الْحِرْبَاءِ al-ḥirbāʾi | حِرْبَاءِ ḥirbāʾi |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | حِرْبَاءَيْن ḥirbāʾayn | الْحِرْبَاءَيْن al-ḥirbāʾayn | حِرْبَاءَيْ ḥirbāʾay |
| Nominative | حِرْبَاءَانِ ḥirbāʾāni | الْحِرْبَاءَانِ al-ḥirbāʾāni | حِرْبَاءَا ḥirbāʾā |
| Accusative | حِرْبَاءَيْنِ ḥirbāʾayni | الْحِرْبَاءَيْنِ al-ḥirbāʾayni | حِرْبَاءَيْ ḥirbāʾay |
| Genitive | حِرْبَاءَيْنِ ḥirbāʾayni | الْحِرْبَاءَيْنِ al-ḥirbāʾayni | حِرْبَاءَيْ ḥirbāʾay |
| Plural | basic broken plural triptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | حَرَابِي ḥarābī | الْحَرَابِي al-ḥarābī | حَرَابِي ḥarābī |
| Nominative | حَرَابِيٌّ ḥarābiyyun | الْحَرَابِيُّ al-ḥarābiyyu | حَرَابِيُّ ḥarābiyyu |
| Accusative | حَرَابِيًّا ḥarābiyyan | الْحَرَابِيَّ al-ḥarābiyya | حَرَابِيَّ ḥarābiyya |
| Genitive | حَرَابِيٍّ ḥarābiyyin | الْحَرَابِيِّ al-ḥarābiyyi | حَرَابِيِّ ḥarābiyyi |
Synonyms
- جَمَل اليَهُود (jamal al-yahūd, literally “Jewish camel”)
References
- Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–), “خربا”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press
- Freytag, Georg (1830), “حرباء”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum (in Latin), volume 1, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 361
- Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860), “حرباء”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc (in French), volume 1, Paris: Maisonneuve et Cie, pages 403
- Lane, Edward William (1863), “حرباء”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, pages 540–541
- Black, Jeremy; George, Andrew; Postgate, Nicholas (2000) A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, page 121
- Leonid Kogan (2006), Animal Names: 4.3. Lizards in Babel und Bibel 3: Annual of Ancient Near Eastern, Old Testament, and Semitic Studies, Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns in conjunction with the Russian State University for Humanities, page 298, note 177