صبية
Arabic
Noun
صَبِيَّة • (ṣabiyya) f (plural صَبَايَا (ṣabāyā), masculine صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy))
- female equivalent of صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy, “boy, servant”):
- girl, young woman
Declension
Declension of noun صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya)
| Singular | singular triptote in ـَة (-a) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | صَبِيَّة ṣabiyya | الصَّبِيَّة aṣ-ṣabiyya | صَبِيَّة ṣabiyyat |
| Nominative | صَبِيَّةٌ ṣabiyyatun | الصَّبِيَّةُ aṣ-ṣabiyyatu | صَبِيَّةُ ṣabiyyatu |
| Accusative | صَبِيَّةً ṣabiyyatan | الصَّبِيَّةَ aṣ-ṣabiyyata | صَبِيَّةَ ṣabiyyata |
| Genitive | صَبِيَّةٍ ṣabiyyatin | الصَّبِيَّةِ aṣ-ṣabiyyati | صَبِيَّةِ ṣabiyyati |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | صَبِيَّتَيْن ṣabiyyatayn | الصَّبِيَّتَيْن aṣ-ṣabiyyatayn | صَبِيَّتَيْ ṣabiyyatay |
| Nominative | صَبِيَّتَانِ ṣabiyyatāni | الصَّبِيَّتَانِ aṣ-ṣabiyyatāni | صَبِيَّتَا ṣabiyyatā |
| Accusative | صَبِيَّتَيْنِ ṣabiyyatayni | الصَّبِيَّتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣabiyyatayni | صَبِيَّتَيْ ṣabiyyatay |
| Genitive | صَبِيَّتَيْنِ ṣabiyyatayni | الصَّبِيَّتَيْنِ aṣ-ṣabiyyatayni | صَبِيَّتَيْ ṣabiyyatay |
| Plural | broken plural invariable | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā | الصَّبَايَا aṣ-ṣabāyā | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā |
| Nominative | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā | الصَّبَايَا aṣ-ṣabāyā | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā |
| Accusative | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā | الصَّبَايَا aṣ-ṣabāyā | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā |
| Genitive | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā | الصَّبَايَا aṣ-ṣabāyā | صَبَايَا ṣabāyā |
Noun
صِبْيَة or صُبْيَة • (ṣibya or ṣubya) m pl
- plural of صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy)
North Levantine Arabic
Etymology
From Arabic صَبِيّة (ṣabiyya). For the euphemism compare Arabic حُبَاب (ḥubāb, “friend, beloved; snake”) and Ge'ez ዐርክት (ʿärəkt, “female friend; snake”).
Noun
صبية • (ṣabiyye) f (plural صبايا (ṣabāya))
- a female teenager or a young woman, chiefly unmarried
- (Bedouinic, euphemistic) snake
Usage notes
- Similarly to girl, the North Levantine word referred originally to an unmarried woman up to circa 20 years of age. With the rise of the average marriage age it may now be significantly stretched, though probably not beyond 30 years.
- The masculine equivalent is شب (šabb), which see for more.
- صبية is widely interchangeable with بنت (bint), though the latter is broader as it includes little girls and also means “daughter”.
References
- “Aus einem Briefe des Herrn Consul Wetzstein an Prof. Fleischer”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German), volume 23, 30-11-1868, page 312 of 309–313
- Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 89
South Levantine Arabic
Etymology
From Arabic صَبِيّة (ṣabiyya).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sˤa.bij.je/, [sˤaˈbij.je], [-a]
Audio (Jerusalem) (file)
Noun
صبيّة • (ṣabiyye) f (plural صبايا (ṣabāya), masculine صبي (ṣabi))
- girl, young woman, female teenager
See also
- بنت (bint, “girl”)، فتاة (fatā, “girl”)