ادب

See also: أدب and أدت

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أَدَب (ʔadab).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ʔa.ˈdab/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.d̪áb]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.d̪áb]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔä.d̪áb]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔä.d̪áb̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæ.d̪ǽb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.d̪áb]

Readings
Classical reading?	adab
Dari reading?	adab
Iranian reading?	adab
Tajik reading?	adab

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Noun

Dari	ادب
Iranian Persian
Tajik	адаб

ادب • (adab) (plural آداب, or ادب‌ها (adab-hā / adab-hâ), Tajik spelling адаб)

1. politeness, courtesy, civility, manners, proper conduct
   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 112:

     گفت جایی که منم ناله و فریاد مکن
     و گرت نیست تحمل بکش آهی به ادب

     guft jāyē ki man-am nāla u faryād makun
     wa garat nēst tahammul bikaš āhē ba adab

     She said: "Do not cry out and moan at the place where I am,
     And if you do not have the patience, let out a sigh courteously."

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. literature, letters. polite learning
3. discipline

Derived terms

• ادبی (adabi)
• بی ادب (bi-adab)

Related terms

• ادبیات (adabiyât)
• ادیب (adib)

Descendants

• → Bengali: আদব (adob)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: अदब (adab)

  Urdu: اَدَب (adab)

• → Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਅਦਬ (adab)

  Shahmukhi script: اَدَب (adab)

References

• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–), “ادب”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press.

Sindhi

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic أَدَب (ʔadab)bor.

Classical Persian اَدَب (adab)bor.

Sindhi ادب

Borrowed from Classical Persian اَدَب (adab).

Noun

اَدَبُ • (adabu) m (Devanagari अदबु)

1. literature
2. politeness, respect

Declension

Declension of اَدَبُ (masc u-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	اَدَبُ adabu	اَدَبَ adaba
oblique	اَدَبَ adaba	اَدَبَنِ adabani
vocative	اَدَبَ adaba	اَدَبو adabo

Further reading

• Sindhi Language Authority (2025), “ادب”, in Online Sindhi Dictionaries‎^[1]

Urdu

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic أَدَب (ʔadab)bor.

Classical Persian اَدَب (adab)bor.

Urdu ادب

Borrowed from Classical Persian اَدَب (adab).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ə.d̪əb/
• Rhymes: -əb

Noun

اَدَب • (adab) m (Hindi spelling अदब)

1. discipline
2. training
3. politeness

   اُن کا بیٹا ہمیشہ ادب سے بزرگوں سے بات کرتا ہے‌۔

   unkā beṭā hameśā adab se buzurgõ se bāt kartā hai.

   Their son always talks to elders with politeness.

4. respect
5. courtesy
6. urbanity
7. etiquette
8. literature

   Synonym: ساہتیہ

See also

• آداب (ādāb)

Ushojo

Etymology

From Urdu ادب (adab), from Persian ادب (adab), from Arabic أَدَب (ʔadab).

Noun

ادب (edab)

1. discipline
2. training
3. politeness
4. respect
5. courtesy
6. urbanity
7. etiquette
8. literature