ʾb

Common Semitic noun *ʾab-, father.

1. Abraham, from Hebrew ʾabrāhām, the (divine) father is exalted, from ʾab, reduced form of ʾāb, father.

2. Job, from Hebrew ʾiyyôb, perhaps from an early Northwest Semitic dialectal name meaning “where is the father?”, from ʾôb, father, of dialectal origin, akin to Hebrew ʾāb, father. (Alternatively, ʾiyyôb may be akin to Hebrew ʾōyēb, enemy; see ʾyb).

3.

a. Joab, from Hebrew yôʾāb, Yahweh (is) father (yô, Yahweh; see hwy);

b. Ahab, from Hebrew ʾaḥʾāb, father's brother (ʾaḥ, brother; seeʾḫ). Both a and b from ʾāb, father.

4.

a. Abigail, from Hebrew ʾăbîgayil, my father (is) joy (see gyl);

b. Absalom, from Hebrew ʾabšālōm, short for ʾăbîšālōm, my father (is) peace (šālōm, peace; see šlm). Both a and b from Hebrew ʾăbî, shortened form of ʾābî, my father, from ʾāb, father.

5.

a. abelmosk, from Arabic ʾabū l-musk, source of the musk;

b. baobab, from North African Arabic bū ḥibāb, tree of many seeds;

c. borage, probably from Arabic būʿaraq, from ʾabū ʿaraq, father of sweat;

d. bwana, from Arabic ʾabūnā, our father;

e. pataca, from Arabic ʾabū ṭāqa, “father of the window,” a type of coin. a-e all from Arabic ʾabū, bound form of ʾab, father, source.

6.

a. Abba, abbacy, abbatial, abbé, abbess, abbey, abbot, from Aramaic ʾabbā, the father, my father, from ʾab, father;

b. Barabbas, from Aramaic bar-ʾabbā, son of the father (see bn).

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