ابن

See also: أبن‎, أثن‎, اثن‎, أتن‎, and آتن‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *bin-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ibn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (plural أَبْنَاء‎ (ʔabnāʔ) or بَنُون‎ (banūn) or بَنَات‎ (banāt), feminine اِبْنَة‎ (ibna) or بِنْت‎ (bint))

1. son

   ‏بُنَيَّ/بُنَيَّتِي‎‎ ― bunayya/bunayyatī ― my dear son/daughter (diminutive)

   ‏اِبْنُ آدَمَ‎‎ ― ibnu ʔādama ― human (literally, “son of Adam”)

2. descendant, scion
3. offspring, son of the fatherland
4. member (of a group or set of people or things)

Usage notes

• The plural بَنَات (banāt) is used as the plural of اِبْن (ibn) if and only if the referents are things or non-human animals.

Declension

Declension of noun اِبْن (ibn)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِبْن ibn	الِابْن‎ al-ibn	اِبْن ibn
Nominative	اِبْنٌ ibnun	الِابْنُ‎ al-ibnu	اِبْنُ ibnu
Accusative	اِبْنًا‎ ibnan	الِابْنَ‎ al-ibna	اِبْنَ ibna
Genitive	اِبْنٍ ibnin	الِابْنِ‎ al-ibni	اِبْنِ ibni
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	اِبْنَيْن‎ ibnayn	الِابْنَيْن‎ al-ibnayn	اِبْنَيْ‎ ibnay
Nominative	اِبْنَانِ‎ ibnāni	الِابْنَانِ‎ al-ibnāni	اِبْنَا‎ ibnā
Accusative	اِبْنَيْنِ‎ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ‎ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ‎ ibnay
Genitive	اِبْنَيْنِ‎ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ‎ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ‎ ibnay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; sound masculine plural‎; sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَبْنَاء‎‎; بَنِين‎‎; بَنَات‎ ʔabnāʔ‎; banīn‎; banāt	الْأَبْنَاء‎‎; الْبَنِين‎‎; الْبَنَات‎ al-ʔabnāʔ‎; al-banīn‎; al-banāt	أَبْنَاء‎‎; بَنِي‎‎; بَنَات‎ ʔabnāʔ‎; banī‎; banāt
Nominative	أَبْنَاءٌ‎‎; بَنُونَ‎‎; بَنَاتٌ‎ ʔabnāʔun‎; banūna‎; banātun	الْأَبْنَاءُ‎‎; الْبَنُونَ‎‎; الْبَنَاتُ‎ al-ʔabnāʔu‎; al-banūna‎; al-banātu	أَبْنَاءُ‎‎; بَنُو‎‎; بَنَاتُ‎ ʔabnāʔu‎; banū‎; banātu
Accusative	أَبْنَاءً‎‎; بَنِينَ‎‎; بَنَاتٍ‎ ʔabnāʔan‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءَ‎‎; الْبَنِينَ‎‎; الْبَنَاتِ‎ al-ʔabnāʔa‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءَ‎‎; بَنِي‎‎; بَنَاتِ‎ ʔabnāʔa‎; banī‎; banāti
Genitive	أَبْنَاءٍ‎‎; بَنِينَ‎‎; بَنَاتٍ‎ ʔabnāʔin‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءِ‎‎; الْبَنِينَ‎‎; الْبَنَاتِ‎ al-ʔabnāʔi‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءِ‎‎; بَنِي‎‎; بَنَاتِ‎ ʔabnāʔi‎; banī‎; banāti

Alternative forms

• بْن‎ (bn)

Related terms

• بُنُوَّة‎ (bunuwwa)
• بَنَوِيّ‎ (banawiyy)
• تَبَنٍّ‎ (tabannin)

Descendants

• Hijazi Arabic: ابن‎ (ibin)
• Maltese: iben
• Moroccan Arabic: بن‎ (bin)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ib.ni/

Verb

اِبْنِ • (ibni) (form I)

1. second-person masculine singular active imperative of بَنَى‎ (banā)

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979), “بن”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن‎ (ibn).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔɪ.b(ɪ)n/

Noun

ابن • (ibin) m (plural ولاد‎ (wlād) or صبيان‎ (ṣibyān, ṣubyān))

1. son

Usage notes

• The plural ولاد‎ (wlād) can mean “sons” specifically, but also “children” in general. The alternative plural is used to explicitly specify the masculine.

See also

• بنت‎ (bint)
• شب‎ (šabb)
• صبيه‎ (ṣabīye)
• طفل‎ (ṭifil, ṭufil)
• ولد‎ (walad)

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن‎ (ibn).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔiβn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔebn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

Readings
Classical reading?	iḇn
Dari reading?	ibn
Iranian reading?	ebn
Tajik reading?	ibn

Noun

اِبن • (ebn)

1. ibn; a word meaning "son", used only in patronymic names and certain literary expressions borrowed from Arabic.

   ‏ابن سینا‎ ― ebn-e sinâ ― Avicenna

   ‏ابن عربی‎ ― ebn-e 'arabi ― Ibn Arabi

   ‏ابن هیثم‎ ― ebn-e heysam ― Ibn al-Haytham

Usage notes

• In names, it is used with the ezâfe.

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن‎ (ibn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔibn/, [ʔi.b(ɪ)n]

• Audio (al-Lidd)

  (file)

Noun

ابن • (ʔibn) m (plural ولاد‎ (wlād), feminine بنت‎ (bint))

1. son

   Synonym: ولد‎ (walad)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian ابن‎ (ibn), from Arabic اِبْن‎ (ibn).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ɪbn/

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (Hindi spelling इब्न)

1. son, child
2. offspring
3. slave

References

• “ابن”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “ابن”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English] (in English), Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2023.

Yemeni Arabic

Noun

ابن (ibn, ubn) m (plural بني‎ (banī))

1. son
2. side-branch of a tree

References

• Piamenta, Moshe (1991) Dictionary of Post-Classical Yemeni Arabic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 39b–40b