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رب
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Arabic
Etymology 1
From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.
Pronunciation
Verb
رَبَّ • (rabba) I (non-past يَرُبُّ (yarubbu), verbal noun رَبّ (rabb) or رِبَاب (ribāb))
- to be master, to be lord
- to have possession, to gather, to control
- to have authority over, to govern
- to impact, to comprise, to contain
- to collect, to congregate
- to grow, to increase, to become greater
Conjugation
Verb
رَبَّ • (rabba) I (non-past يَرُبُّ (yarubbu), verbal noun رَبّ (rabb))
Conjugation
Etymology 2
From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.
Pronunciation
Noun
رَبّ • (rabb) m (plural أَرْبَاب (ʔarbāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb), feminine رَبَّة (rabba))
- Lord, an epithet of God
- اَللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِين ― allāhu rabbu l-ʕālamīn ― God is Lord of the Worlds
- الرَّبّ ― ar-rabb ― the LORD
- god, deity
- master, lord, king, sovereign, potentate
- Coordinate terms: عَبْد (ʕabd), خَادِم (ḵādim)
- رَبُّ الدَّار ― rabbu d-dār ― master of the house
- رَبُّ الْعَائِلَة ― rabbu l-ʕāʔila ― paterfamilias
- 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.”
- leader, chief, head
- رَبُّ بَحْرِيّ ― rabbu baḥriyy ― seaman (naval rank)
- owner, proprietor
- (with a following genitive) one possessed of, one endowed with
- (with a following genitive) having to do with
- verbal noun of رَبَّ (rabba) (form I)
Declension
Related terms
- رُبُوبِيَّة (rubūbiyya)
- رُبَّان (rubbān)
- إِلَٰه (ʔilāh)
- الله (allāh)
Descendants
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
Noun
رُبّ • (rubb) m (plural رِبَاب (ribāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb))
- thickened fruit juice, thickened juice
- mash, pulp
Declension
Derived terms
See also
- مُرَبَّب (murabbab, “jam, marmalade”)
Etymology 4
From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.
Pronunciation
Adjective
رُبَّ • (rubba)
- (with a following indefinite genitive) many
Declension
Indeclinable, followed by the indefinite genitive singular.
Adverb
رُبَّ • (rubba) (with following genitive)
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:
- 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
- رُبَّمَا (rubbamā)
Etymology 5
Verb
رَبِّ • (rabbi) (form II) /rab.bi/
- second-person masculine singular imperative of رَبَّى (rabbā)
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Persian
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Persian) IPA(key): /ˈɾabb/
- (Iran, formal) IPA(key): [ɹæb̥(ː)]
- (Tajik, formal) IPA(key): [ɾäb(ː)]
Proper noun
رب • (rab)
Noun
رب • (rabb)
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
- (Classical Persian) IPA(key): /ˈɾubb/, /ˈɾab/
- (Iran, formal) IPA(key): [ɹob̥(ː)], [ɹæb̥]
- (Tajik, formal) IPA(key): [ɾub(ː)], [ɾäb]
Noun
رب • (rob)
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Punjabi
Etymology
Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).
Pronunciation
- (Standard Punjabi) IPA(key): /ɾəb.bə̆/, [ɾɐbˑə̆]
Noun
رَبّ • (rabb) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਰੱਬ)
Declension
Further reading
Urdu
Etymology
Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rab, rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).
Pronunciation
- (Standard Urdu) IPA(key): /ɾəb/
- Rhymes: -əb
- Hyphenation: رَب
Noun
رَب • (rab) m (formal plural ارباب, Hindi spelling रब)
Declension
Related terms
- رَبّا (rabbā)
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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