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رب

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: رپ, زب, and رث

Arabic

Etymology 1

More information Root ...

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation

Verb

رَبَّ (rabba) I (non-past يَرُبُّ (yarubbu), verbal noun رَبّ (rabb) or رِبَاب (ribāb))

  1. to be master, to be lord
  2. to have possession, to gather, to control
  3. to have authority over, to govern
  4. to impact, to comprise, to contain
  5. to collect, to congregate
  6. to grow, to increase, to become greater
Conjugation
More information verbal noun الْمَصْدَر, active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل ...

Verb

رَبَّ (rabba) I (non-past يَرُبُّ (yarubbu), verbal noun رَبّ (rabb))

  1. to bring up, to raise (a child)
Conjugation
More information verbal noun الْمَصْدَر, active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل ...

Etymology 2

More information Root ...

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation

Noun

رَبّ (rabb) m (plural أَرْبَاب (ʔarbāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb), feminine رَبَّة (rabba))

  1. Lord, an epithet of God
    اَللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينallāhu rabbu l-ʕālamīnGod is Lord of the Worlds
    الرَّبّar-rabbthe LORD
  2. god, deity
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:39:
      يَاصَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللہُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
      [Joseph said:] "O my two companions of the prison! Are many different deities better than God the One [Who is the Source of all things], the Overpowering?"
  3. master, lord, king, sovereign, potentate
    Coordinate terms: عَبْد (ʕabd), خَادِم (ḵādim)
    رَبُّ الدَّارrabbu d-dārmaster of the house
    رَبُّ الْعَائِلَةrabbu l-ʕāʔilapaterfamilias
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:41:
      يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ
      yā ṣāḥibayi s-sijni ʔammā ʔaḥadukumā fayasqī rabbahu ḵamran waʔammā l-ʔāḵaru fayuṣlabu fataʔkulu ṭ-ṭayru min raʔsihi
      “O my fellow inmates! One of you will serve his master wine; while the other will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. Thus the matter you are inquiring about is settled.”
  4. leader, chief, head
    رَبُّ بَحْرِيّrabbu baḥriyyseaman (naval rank)
  5. owner, proprietor
  6. (with a following genitive) one possessed of, one endowed with
  7. (with a following genitive) having to do with
  8. verbal noun of رَبَّ (rabba) (form I)
Declension
More information singular, basic singular triptote ...
Descendants
  • Afar: Rábbi
  • Azerbaijani: rəbb, Rəbb
  • Bashkir: раббы (rabbı)
  • Bengali: রব (robo)
  • Ottoman Turkish: رب (rabb)
  • (via plural) Ottoman Turkish: ارباب

Etymology 3

More information Root ...

Pronunciation

Noun

رُبّ (rubb) m (plural رِبَاب (ribāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb))

  1. thickened fruit juice, thickened juice
  2. mash, pulp
Declension
More information singular, basic singular triptote ...
Derived terms
  • Middle Armenian: ռուպ (ṙup), ըռուպ (əṙup)
  • Persian: رب (rob)
  • Spanish: arrope
See also
  • مُرَبَّب (murabbab, jam, marmalade)

Etymology 4

More information Root ...

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation

Adjective

رُبَّ (rubba)

  1. (with a following indefinite genitive) many
    رُبَّ رَجُلٍ (rubba rajulin, many a man)
    رُبَّ مَرَّةٍ (rubba marratin, many a time)
Declension

Indeclinable, followed by the indefinite genitive singular.

Adverb

رُبَّ (rubba) (with following genitive)

  1. likely, perhaps, mayhap, potentially

Usage notes

Sometimes considered a preposition, an adverb or an adjective, it can mean both profusion (something happens a lot) or rarity (something could possibly happen). See the following example:

  1. رُبَّ فَقِيرٍ مُهَانٍ وَهُوَ غَنِيُّ ٱلنَّفْسِ.
    rubba faqīrin muhānin wahuwa ḡaniyyu n-nafsi.
    Many a despised poor man may have a rich soul.
    رُبَّ طَالِبٍ مُجْتَهِدٍ يَفْشَلُ.
    rubba ṭālibin mujtahidin yafšalu.
    Even a hardworking student can possibly fail.

Derived terms

Etymology 5

Verb

رَبِّ (rabbi) (form II) /rab.bi/

  1. second-person masculine singular imperative of رَبَّى (rabbā)
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Persian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation

 

More information Readings, Classical reading? ...

Proper noun

More information Dari, Iranian Persian ...

رب (rab)

  1. the Lord, God

Noun

رب (rabb)

  1. (obsolete) master, lord
Usage notes
  • In modern Persian, ارباب (arbâb, originally the Arabic plural of رب) should be used for "lord," even in the singular. رب should be used only for God.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic رُبّ (rubb).

Pronunciation

 

More information Readings, Classical reading? ...

Noun

More information Dari, Iranian Persian ...

رب (rob)

  1. tomato sauce
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Punjabi

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation

Noun

رَبّ (rabb) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਰੱਬ)

  1. Lord; An epithet for God.
    Synonyms: خُدا (xudā), اللہ (allāh), واہِگُرُو (vāhigurū)
  2. (in compounds) owner; possessor

Declension

More information singular, plural ...

Further reading

  • Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002), “رب”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
  • ਰੱਬ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rab, rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation

Noun

رَب (rab) m (formal plural ارباب, Hindi spelling रब)

  1. Lord; An epithet for God.
    Synonyms: خدا (xudā), اللہ (allāh), بھگوان (bhagvān)
  2. (in compounds) owner; possessor

Declension

More information singular, plural ...

Further reading

  • رب”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • رب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
  • Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “رب”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
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