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.
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 (ʾakbāš) or أَكْبُش (ʾakbuš) 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; ʾakbāš; ʾakbuš; kubūš | الْكِبَاش; الْأَكْبَاش; الْأَكْبُش; الْكُبُوش al-kibāš; al-ʾakbāš; al-ʾakbuš; al-kubūš | كِبَاش; أَكْبَاش; أَكْبُش; كُبُوش kibāš; ʾakbāš; ʾakbuš; kubūš |
| Nominative | كِبَاشٌ; أَكْبَاشٌ; أَكْبُشٌ; كُبُوشٌ kibāšun; ʾakbāšun; ʾakbušun; kubūšun | الْكِبَاشُ; الْأَكْبَاشُ; الْأَكْبُشُ; الْكُبُوشُ al-kibāšu; al-ʾakbāšu; al-ʾakbušu; al-kubūšu | كِبَاشُ; أَكْبَاشُ; أَكْبُشُ; كُبُوشُ kibāšu; ʾakbāšu; ʾakbušu; kubūšu |
| Accusative | كِبَاشًا; أَكْبَاشًا; أَكْبُشًا; كُبُوشًا kibāšan; ʾakbāšan; ʾakbušan; kubūšan | الْكِبَاشَ; الْأَكْبَاشَ; الْأَكْبُشَ; الْكُبُوشَ al-kibāša; al-ʾakbāša; al-ʾakbuša; al-kubūša | كِبَاشَ; أَكْبَاشَ; أَكْبُشَ; كُبُوشَ kibāša; ʾakbāša; ʾakbuša; kubūša |
| Genitive | كِبَاشٍ; أَكْبَاشٍ; أَكْبُشٍ; كُبُوشٍ kibāšin; ʾakbāšin; ʾakbušin; kubūšin | الْكِبَاشِ; الْأَكْبَاشِ; الْأَكْبُشِ; الْكُبُوشِ al-kibāši; al-ʾakbāši; al-ʾakbuši; al-kubūši | كِبَاشِ; أَكْبَاشِ; أَكْبُشِ; كُبُوشِ kibāši; ʾakbāši; ʾakbuši; 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