باب

See also: تأت, پاپ, بات, تاب, تأب, and باپ

Arabic

بَاب

Etymology

Usually considered a borrowing from Aramaic בָּבָא (bāḇā, “gate”), from Akkadian 𒆍 (bābum [KA₂], “gate”), particularly since the Arabs, living in tents, did not need doors. However, Hans Bauer considers all of these words native, explaining the formation as an ancient univerbation of etyma equivalent to Arabic بَاءَ (bāʔa) بِ (bi) “he has entered into (the house)”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːb/

• Audio

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Noun

بَاب • (bāb) m (plural أَبْوَاب (ʔabwāb) or بِيبَان (bībān))

1. door, gate
2. opening, gateway
3. entrance
4. opportunity, a chance, opening
5. military tactic, maneuver, an opening to use a strategy
6. chapter, section, column
7. group, class, category
8. (astronomy) appearance of an astronomical body, a juncture, an opening to observe
9. (figurative) domain, field

Declension

Declension of noun بَاب (bāb)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَاب bāb	الْبَاب al-bāb	بَاب bāb
Nominative	بَابٌ bābun	الْبَابُ al-bābu	بَابُ bābu
Accusative	بَابًا bāban	الْبَابَ al-bāba	بَابَ bāba
Genitive	بَابٍ bābin	الْبَابِ al-bābi	بَابِ bābi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَابَيْن bābayn	الْبَابَيْن al-bābayn	بَابَيْ bābay
Nominative	بَابَانِ bābāni	الْبَابَانِ al-bābāni	بَابَا bābā
Accusative	بَابَيْنِ bābayni	الْبَابَيْنِ al-bābayni	بَابَيْ bābay
Genitive	بَابَيْنِ bābayni	الْبَابَيْنِ al-bābayni	بَابَيْ bābay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَبْوَاب‎; بِيبَان ʔabwāb‎; bībān	الْأَبْوَاب‎; الْبِيبَان al-ʔabwāb‎; al-bībān	أَبْوَاب‎; بِيبَان ʔabwāb‎; bībān
Nominative	أَبْوَابٌ‎; بِيبَانٌ ʔabwābun‎; bībānun	الْأَبْوَابُ‎; الْبِيبَانُ al-ʔabwābu‎; al-bībānu	أَبْوَابُ‎; بِيبَانُ ʔabwābu‎; bībānu
Accusative	أَبْوَابًا‎; بِيبَانًا ʔabwāban‎; bībānan	الْأَبْوَابَ‎; الْبِيبَانَ al-ʔabwāba‎; al-bībāna	أَبْوَابَ‎; بِيبَانَ ʔabwāba‎; bībāna
Genitive	أَبْوَابٍ‎; بِيبَانٍ ʔabwābin‎; bībānin	الْأَبْوَابِ‎; الْبِيبَانِ al-ʔabwābi‎; al-bībāni	أَبْوَابِ‎; بِيبَانِ ʔabwābi‎; bībāni

Derived terms

• مَقْبِض الْبَاب (maqbiḍ al-bāb, “doorknob”)

Related terms

• بَابَة (bāba)
• بَوَّاب (bawwāb)
• بَوَّابَة (bawwāba)
• تَبْوِيب (tabwīb)
• مُبَوَّب (mubawwab)

Descendants

• → Middle Armenian: պապ (pap), բաբ (bab)

References

• Bauer, Hans (1935) “Etymologica II”, in Zeitschrift für Semitistik und verwandte Gebiete (in German), volume 10, page 165
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 14
• Freytag, Georg (1830) “باب”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 1, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 170
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 74
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “باب”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[2], London: W.H. Allen, page 101
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “باب”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN
• Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 30

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Egyptian Arabic

Noun

1. door (portal of entry into a building or room)

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Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic بَاب (bāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːb/

Noun

باب • (bāb) m (plural بيبان (bībān))

1. door, gate

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Persian

Etymology 1

Adjective

باب • (bâb)

1. appropriate

Etymology 2

From Arabic بَاب (bāb).

Noun

Dari	باب
Iranian Persian
Tajik	боб

باب • (bâb) (plural باب‌ها (bâb-hâ))

1. door
2. gate
3. chapter

Proper noun

باب • (bâb)

1. the Báb

Synonyms

• در (dar)

Related terms

• بابی (bâbi)

Etymology 3

Noun

باب • (bâb)

1. (archaic) father

Etymology 4

Borrowed from English Bob.

Proper noun

باب • (bâb)

1. a male given name, Bob, from English.

   باب اسفنجی ― bâb esfanji ― SpongeBob

   باب دیلن ― bâb dilen ― Bob Dylan