سبب

See also: شبث, شبت, سبت, and س ب ب

Arabic

Root
س ب ب (s b b)
11 terms

Etymology 1.1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sab.ba.ba/

• Noun:

  (file)

Verb

سَبَّبَ • (sabbaba) II (non-past يُسَبِّبُ (yusabbibu), verbal noun تَسْبِيب (tasbīb))

1. to cause, to effect, to trigger, to generate

   إزالةُ الغاباتِ تُسَبِّبُ كوارثَ بيئيّة.

   ʔizālat-u l-ḡābāt-i tusabbib-u kawāriṯ-a bīʔiyyah.

   Deforestation causes environmental catastrophes.

   مِنَ المُحتمَلِ أنْ يُسَبِّبَ هذا نِقاشًا مِنْ دونِ جَدوى.

   min-a l-muḥtamal-i ʔan yusabbib-a hāḏā niqāš-an min dūn-i jadwā.

   This will probably cause a pointless debate.

Conjugation

Conjugation of سَبَّبَ (II, sound, full passive, verbal noun تَسْبِيب)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						تَسْبِيب tasbīb
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						مُسَبِّب musabbib
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مُسَبَّب musabbab
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	سَبَّبْتُ sabbabtu	سَبَّبْتَ sabbabta	سَبَّبَ sabbaba		سَبَّبْتُمَا sabbabtumā	سَبَّبَا sabbabā		سَبَّبْنَا sabbabnā	سَبَّبْتُمْ sabbabtum	سَبَّبُوا sabbabū
	f		سَبَّبْتِ sabbabti	سَبَّبَتْ sabbabat			سَبَّبَتَا sabbabatā			سَبَّبْتُنَّ sabbabtunna	سَبَّبْنَ sabbabna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُسَبِّبُ ʔusabbibu	تُسَبِّبُ tusabbibu	يُسَبِّبُ yusabbibu		تُسَبِّبَانِ tusabbibāni	يُسَبِّبَانِ yusabbibāni		نُسَبِّبُ nusabbibu	تُسَبِّبُونَ tusabbibūna	يُسَبِّبُونَ yusabbibūna
	f		تُسَبِّبِينَ tusabbibīna	تُسَبِّبُ tusabbibu			تُسَبِّبَانِ tusabbibāni			تُسَبِّبْنَ tusabbibna	يُسَبِّبْنَ yusabbibna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُسَبِّبَ ʔusabbiba	تُسَبِّبَ tusabbiba	يُسَبِّبَ yusabbiba		تُسَبِّبَا tusabbibā	يُسَبِّبَا yusabbibā		نُسَبِّبَ nusabbiba	تُسَبِّبُوا tusabbibū	يُسَبِّبُوا yusabbibū
	f		تُسَبِّبِي tusabbibī	تُسَبِّبَ tusabbiba			تُسَبِّبَا tusabbibā			تُسَبِّبْنَ tusabbibna	يُسَبِّبْنَ yusabbibna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُسَبِّبْ ʔusabbib	تُسَبِّبْ tusabbib	يُسَبِّبْ yusabbib		تُسَبِّبَا tusabbibā	يُسَبِّبَا yusabbibā		نُسَبِّبْ nusabbib	تُسَبِّبُوا tusabbibū	يُسَبِّبُوا yusabbibū
	f		تُسَبِّبِي tusabbibī	تُسَبِّبْ tusabbib			تُسَبِّبَا tusabbibā			تُسَبِّبْنَ tusabbibna	يُسَبِّبْنَ yusabbibna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		سَبِّبْ sabbib			سَبِّبَا sabbibā				سَبِّبُوا sabbibū
	f		سَبِّبِي sabbibī							سَبِّبْنَ sabbibna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	سُبِّبْتُ subbibtu	سُبِّبْتَ subbibta	سُبِّبَ subbiba		سُبِّبْتُمَا subbibtumā	سُبِّبَا subbibā		سُبِّبْنَا subbibnā	سُبِّبْتُمْ subbibtum	سُبِّبُوا subbibū
	f		سُبِّبْتِ subbibti	سُبِّبَتْ subbibat			سُبِّبَتَا subbibatā			سُبِّبْتُنَّ subbibtunna	سُبِّبْنَ subbibna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُسَبَّبُ ʔusabbabu	تُسَبَّبُ tusabbabu	يُسَبَّبُ yusabbabu		تُسَبَّبَانِ tusabbabāni	يُسَبَّبَانِ yusabbabāni		نُسَبَّبُ nusabbabu	تُسَبَّبُونَ tusabbabūna	يُسَبَّبُونَ yusabbabūna
	f		تُسَبَّبِينَ tusabbabīna	تُسَبَّبُ tusabbabu			تُسَبَّبَانِ tusabbabāni			تُسَبَّبْنَ tusabbabna	يُسَبَّبْنَ yusabbabna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُسَبَّبَ ʔusabbaba	تُسَبَّبَ tusabbaba	يُسَبَّبَ yusabbaba		تُسَبَّبَا tusabbabā	يُسَبَّبَا yusabbabā		نُسَبَّبَ nusabbaba	تُسَبَّبُوا tusabbabū	يُسَبَّبُوا yusabbabū
	f		تُسَبَّبِي tusabbabī	تُسَبَّبَ tusabbaba			تُسَبَّبَا tusabbabā			تُسَبَّبْنَ tusabbabna	يُسَبَّبْنَ yusabbabna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُسَبَّبْ ʔusabbab	تُسَبَّبْ tusabbab	يُسَبَّبْ yusabbab		تُسَبَّبَا tusabbabā	يُسَبَّبَا yusabbabā		نُسَبَّبْ nusabbab	تُسَبَّبُوا tusabbabū	يُسَبَّبُوا yusabbabū
	f		تُسَبَّبِي tusabbabī	تُسَبَّبْ tusabbab			تُسَبَّبَا tusabbabā			تُسَبَّبْنَ tusabbabna	يُسَبَّبْنَ yusabbabna

Etymology 1.2

Compare Hebrew סיבה (sibá, “cause, reason”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.bab/

Noun

سَبَب • (sabab) m (plural أَسْبَاب (ʔasbāb))

1. (chiefly Classical) cable, rope

   Synonyms: حَبْل (ḥabl), مَرَسَة (marasa), رِبَاط (ribāṭ), قَلْس (qals), أَشْل (ʔašl), طُنُب (ṭunub), مَرَار (marār), إِصَار (ʔiṣār), مَأْصِر (maʔṣir), سِلْسِلَة (silsila), مِقَاط (miqāṭ)

2. cause, grounds, aetiological reason

   بِسَبَب ذٰلِكَ ― bi-sabab ḏālika ― because of that

   • a. 1233 CE, Ibn al-Athīr, الكامل في التاريخ‎^[1], 1st edition, volume 4, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, published 1997, page 81:

     وَكَانَ سَبَبُ قَتْلِهِ أَنَّ أَبَاهُ اسْتَعْمَلَهُ عَلَى الْأَنْدَلُسِ، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا، عِنْدَ عَوْدِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِ، فَضَبَطَهَا وَسَدَّدَ أُمُورَهَا، وَحَمَى ثُغُورَهَا، وَافْتَتَحَ فِي إِمَارَتِهِ مَدَائِنَ بَقِيَتْ بَعْدَ أَبِيهِ،

     "And the reason for his killing was that his father had appointed him over Al-Andalus, as we have mentioned, upon his return to Ash-Sham, so he brought it under control and set its affairs in order, and protected its frontiers, and opened during his emirate cities that remained after his father,"

3. alibi

Declension

Declension of noun سَبَب (sabab)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	سَبَب sabab	السَّبَب as-sabab	سَبَب sabab
nominative	سَبَبٌ sababun	السَّبَبُ as-sababu	سَبَبُ sababu
accusative	سَبَبًا sababan	السَّبَبَ as-sababa	سَبَبَ sababa
genitive	سَبَبٍ sababin	السَّبَبِ as-sababi	سَبَبِ sababi
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	سَبَبَيْن sababayn	السَّبَبَيْن as-sababayn	سَبَبَيْ sababay
nominative	سَبَبَانِ sababāni	السَّبَبَانِ as-sababāni	سَبَبَا sababā
accusative	سَبَبَيْنِ sababayni	السَّبَبَيْنِ as-sababayni	سَبَبَيْ sababay
genitive	سَبَبَيْنِ sababayni	السَّبَبَيْنِ as-sababayni	سَبَبَيْ sababay
plural	basic broken plural triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	أَسْبَاب ʔasbāb	الْأَسْبَاب al-ʔasbāb	أَسْبَاب ʔasbāb
nominative	أَسْبَابٌ ʔasbābun	الْأَسْبَابُ al-ʔasbābu	أَسْبَابُ ʔasbābu
accusative	أَسْبَابًا ʔasbāban	الْأَسْبَابَ al-ʔasbāba	أَسْبَابَ ʔasbāba
genitive	أَسْبَابٍ ʔasbābin	الْأَسْبَابِ al-ʔasbābi	أَسْبَابِ ʔasbābi

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun سبب

• بسبب

Descendants

• → Armenian: սաբաբ (sabab)
• → Avar: сабаб (sabab)
• → Bashkir: сәбәп (säbäp)
• → Fula: sababu
• → Georgian: საბაბი (sababi)
• → Hausa: sabàbī
• → Malay: sebab, sbb (Internet, text messaging)
  • > Indonesian: sebab (inherited)
  • → Central Dusun: sabab
  • → Tausug: sabab
  • → Brooke's Point Palawano: sabab
• → Old Anatolian Turkish: سَبَبْ (sebeb)
  • Azerbaijani: səbəb
  • Ottoman Turkish: سبب (sebeb)
    • Turkish: sebep
    • → Albanian: sebep
    • → Armenian: սեպեպ (sepep), սա̈բա̈բ (säbäb)
    • → Bulgarian: себап (sebap)
    • → Crimean Tatar: sebep
    • → Ladino: sebeb, sebep
• → Pashto: سبب (sabáb)
• → Persian: سبب (sabab)
  • → Chagatai: سبب (sbb /⁠säbäb⁠/), 𐽻𐽰𐽼𐽰𐽼 (sʾpʾp /⁠säbäb⁠/) — Old Uyghur script
    • Uyghur: سەۋەب (seweb)
    • Uzbek: sabab
  • → Gujarati: સબબ (sabab)
  • → Hindi: सबब (sabab)
  • → Kazakh: себеп (sebep)
  • → Kyrgyz: себеп (sebep)
  • → Marathi: सबब (sabab)
  • → Turkmen: sebäp
  • → Urdu: سبب (sabab)
• → Somali: sabab, sababta
• → Swahili: sababu
• → Tajik: сабаб (sabab)
• → Tatar: сәбәп (säbäp)
• → Yoruba: sábàbí

References

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

Chagatai

Alternative forms

• 𐽻𐽰𐽼𐽰𐽼 (sʾpʾp /⁠säbäb⁠/) — Old Uyghur script

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian سَبَب (sabab), from Arabic سَبَب (sabab).

Noun

سبب • (sbb /säbäb/) (plural اسباب (äsbāb))

1. reason, cause

   Synonyms: بهانه (bhʾnh /⁠bähānä⁠/), وسیله (wsylh /⁠wäsīlä⁠/)

   سبب مقسود ― sbb mqswd /säbäb-i mäqsūd/ ― cause of desire

Derived terms

• سبب بولماق (sbb bwlmʾq /⁠säbäb bolmaq⁠/, “to cause”)

Descendants

• Uyghur: سەۋەب (seweb)
• Uzbek: sabab

Further reading

• Ünlü, Suat (2013), Çağatay Türkçesi Sözlüğü [Dictionary of Chagatai Turkic] (in Turkish), Konya: Eğitim Yayınevi, →ISBN, page 960

Malay

Noun

سبب (plural سبب-سبب or سبب٢)

1. Jawi spelling of sebab.‎

Conjunction

سبب

1. Jawi spelling of sebab.‎

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic سَبَب (sabab).

Noun

سبب • (sebeb) (definite accusative سببی (sebebi), plural اسباب (esbab))

1. cause, reason

   Synonym: وسیله (vesile)

   سبب ذاتی ― sebeb-i zati ― an essential cause

   سبب بادی ― sebeb-i badi ― primary cause

   • 1521, Piri Reis, کتاب بحریه [Kitab-ı Bahriye, Book of the Sea]‎^[2]:

     دَرْبَیَانِ سَبَبِ تَالِیفِ
     وَسَبَبِ تَالِیفِ كِتَابْ بُودُرْكِیمْ حَضِرَتِ پَاشَاهِ عَالَمْ پَنَاهُكْ آسِتَانَهِٔ دَوْلَتْ آشِیَانِنَه وَدَرِ سَعَادَتْ بِخْشِنَه طَوَایِفِ دَهْرِ كَامِللَرٖی اَنْوَاعِ فُنُونْدَنْ تُحْفَه‌لَرْ كَتُورْمِشْلَرْدُرْكِمْ دَوْلَتْلُو خُدَاوَنْدِكَارِك هِمَّتِ بٖی‌هَمْتَاسٖیلَه عَالَمْدَه وُجُودْ بُولُوبْ نَامِ نِشَانْ صَاحِبْلَرٖی اُولَه‌لَرْ

     der beyan-ı sebeb-i teʼlif-i kitab
     ve-sebeb-i teʼlif-i kitab budurkim hazireti paşah-i ʼalem penahuñ asitane-i devlet aşiyanına ve-der-i saʼadet bahşine tavayif-i dehr-i kâmilleri envaʼ-ı fünundan tuhfeler getürmişlerdürkim devletlü hudavendigârıñ himmet-i bi-hemtasıyla ʼalemde vücud bulub nam-ı nişan sahibleri olalar.

     the reason of the composition of the book
     the reason of the composition of this book is thus: the most perfect people of the world brought gifts of various sciences to the heavenly state city of the world's sultan and to its gate of happiness, so that with the grace and favor of the sultan, their names were made eternal in the world.

2. motive

Derived terms

• سبب اولمق (sebeb olmak, “to cause”)
• سببسز (sebebsiz, “causeless”)
• سببلنمك (sebeblenmek, “to earn one's living”)
• سببلو (sebeblü, sebebli, “possessed of a means or an excuse”)
• سببی (sebebi, “pertaining to a cause”)

Descendants

• Turkish: sebep
• → Albanian: sebep
• → Armenian: սեպեպ (sepep), սա̈բա̈բ (säbäb)
• → Bulgarian: себап (sebap)
• → Crimean Tatar: sebep
• → Ladino: sebeb, sebep

Further reading

• Redhouse, James W. (1890), “سبب”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[3], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1034
• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “سبب”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[4] (in French), Constantinople: Mihran, page 662b
• Avery, Robert et al., editors (2013), “sebep”, in The Redhouse Dictionary Turkish/Ottoman English, 21st edition, Istanbul: Sev Yayıncılık, →ISBN

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic سَبَب (sabab).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /sa.ˈbab/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [sä.báb]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [sä.báb]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [sä.báb]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [sä.báb̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [sæ.bǽb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [sä.báb]

• Rhymes: -ab

Readings
Classical reading?	sabab
Dari reading?	sabab
Iranian reading?	sabab
Tajik reading?	sabab

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Noun

Dari	سبب
Iranian Persian
Tajik	сабаб

سبب • (sabab) (plural اسباب (asbâb))

1. cause, reason

   Synonyms: باعث (bâ'es), دلیل (dalil)

   سبب این حادثه ― sabab-e in hâdese ― the cause of this incident

   سبب کاهش قیمت‌ها ― sabab-e kâheš-e qeymat-hâ ― the cause of the decline in prices

   • c. 1390, Hafez, “Ghazal 4”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divan of Hafez]:

     ندانم از چه سبب رنگ آشنایی نیست
     سهی قدان سیه چشم ماه سیما را

     na-dânam az če sabab rang-e âšenâyi nist
     sahi qaddân-e siyah čašm-e mâh simâ râ

     I do not know for what reason there is no hue of recognition from these ones standing tall, with black eyes and moon-like faces.

Descendants

• → Chagatai: سبب (sbb /⁠säbäb⁠/), 𐽻𐽰𐽼𐽰𐽼 (sʾpʾp /⁠säbäb⁠/) — Old Uyghur script
  • Uyghur: سەۋەب (seweb)
  • Uzbek: sabab
• → Gujarati: સબબ (sabab)
• → Hindi: सबब (sabab)
• → Kazakh: себеп (sebep)
• → Kyrgyz: себеп (sebep)
• → Marathi: सबब (sabab)
• → Turkmen: sebäp
• → Urdu: سبب (sabab)

South Levantine Arabic

Root
س ب ب
2 terms

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic سَبَّبَ (sabbaba).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sab.bab/, [ˈsab.bab]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Verb

سبّب • (sabbab) II (present بسبّب (bisabbeb))

1. to cause, to produce, to bring about

   التضخم المالي بسبّب لمجتمعنا الاستقرار.

   il-taḍaḵḵom al-māli bisabbeb la-mujtamʕana al-istaqrār

   Inflation brings about instability in our society.

   الطقس سبّب هالتّأخير. ― il-taʕs sabbab ha-t-tʕaḵīr ― The weather caused this delay.

Conjugation

Conjugation of سبب

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	سبّبت (sabbabt)	سبّبت (sabbabt)	سبّب (sabbab)		سبّبنا (sabbabna)	سبّبتو (sabbabtu)	سبّبو (sabbabu)
	f		سبّبتي (sabbabti)	سبّبت (sabbabat)
present	m	بسبّب (basabbib)	بتسبّب (bitsabbib)	بسبّب (bisabbib)		منسبّب (minsabbib)	بتسبّبو (bitsabbbu)	بسبّبو (bisabbbu)
	f		بتسبّبي (bitsabbbi)	بتسبّب (bitsabbib)
subjunctive	m	اسبّب (asabbib)	تسبّب (tsabbib)	يسبّب (ysabbib)		نسبّب (nsabbib)	تسبّبو (tsabbbu)	يسبّبو (ysabbbu)
	f		تسبّبي (tsabbbi)	تسبّب (tsabbib)
imperative	m		سبّب (sabbib)				سبّبو (sabbbu)
	f		سبّبي (sabbbi)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian سَبَب (sabab), from Arabic سَبَب (sabab).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /sə.bəb/
• Rhymes: -iː

Noun

سَبَب • (sabab) m (formal plural اَسْباب (asbāb), Hindi spelling सबब)

1. cause, reason

Declension

Declension of سبب

	singular	plural
direct	سَبَب (sabab)	سَبَب (sabab)
oblique	سَبَب (sabab)	سَبَبوں (sababõ)
vocative	سَبَب (sabab)	سَبَبو (sababo)

Further reading

• Fallon, S. W. (1879), “سبب”, in A New Hindustani-English Dictionary, Banaras, London: Trubner and Co., page 744
• Platts, John T. (1884), “سبب”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 632
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “سبب”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co., page 367
• “سبب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• John Shakespear (1834), “سبب”, in A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English and Hindustani, 3^rd edition, London: J.L. Cox and Son, →OCLC, page 1036
• “سبب”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.