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عيسى

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: عیسی, عیسیٰ, and عيشي

Arabic

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Etymology

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    The form is first unambiguously attested in the Qur'an, though epigraphic evidence suggests it may have existed in pre-Islamic Arabia.

    Traditionally, the name is considered of uncertain origin; however, it is accepted that it is ultimately derived from the Hebrew name of Jesus. While the Christian Arabic name يَسُوع (yasūʕ) can be reasonably derived from Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (yēšū́aʿ), the Qur'anic عِيسَى (ʕīsā) represents morphological difficulties. Several theories, though none sufficiently satisfactory, have been brought forward to explain why the letter ayn was shifted from the last to the first position:

    • It has been noted that ayn was not pronounced in some dialects of Aramaic, including that likely spoken by Jesus himself (compare for this Hebrew יֵשׁוּ (yēšū́)).
    • There are indications that an unetymological word-initial ayn may have occurred more often in Arabic loans from Aramaic (compare عَمْرُوسَة (ʕamrūsa, “small lamb”) from ܐܷܡܪܘܿܣܬܴܐ (ʾemrōstā) or عَقْر (ʕaqr, “the midst of a house”) from ܐܶܩܪܶܐ (ʾaqrā)).
    • Guillaume Dye and Manfred Kropp suggest that this may be an orthographic device borrowed from Classical Mandaic, where ayn was lost in pronunciation, but used to indicate a long initial /i/.

    Alternatively, Al-Jallad and Al-Manaser (2021) make a connection to the divine name 𐪑𐪚𐪖 (ʿsy) on a Safaitic inscription in Harrat ash-Sham. They argue that the inscription very likely makes reference to Jesus due to the strongly Christian-sounding messaging of the inscription, and that it is the direct precursor to the Arabic عِيسَى (ʕīsā). Regarding the etymology, their main proposition is a derivation from the root ع س ي (ʕ s y), cognate to Sabaean 𐩲𐩪𐩺 (ʿs¹y, “to purchase, acquire”). This root, when following the فَيْعَل (fayʕal) pattern, would form the agentive *عَيْسَى (ʿaysay, literally “the Purchaser”) in Old Arabic.[1]

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    عِيسَى • (ʕīsā) m

    1. (Islam) Jesus (Isa), son of Mary, revered as a major prophet in Islam.
      Synonym: يَسُوع (yasūʕ) (Christianity)
    2. a male given name, equivalent to English Isa

    Usage notes

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    • عِيسَى (ʕīsā) is used almost exclusively in Islamic contexts. Christians Arabs predominantly call Jesus يَسُوع (yasūʕ).

    Declension

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    Declension of noun عِيسَى (ʕīsā)
    singular singular invariable
    indefinite definite construct
    informal — عِيسَى
    ʕīsā     		—
    nominative — عِيسَى
    ʕīsā     		—
    accusative — عِيسَى
    ʕīsā     		—
    genitive — عِيسَى
    ʕīsā     		—

    Coordinate terms

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    Islamic prophetsedit

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    References

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    1. ^ Al-Jallad, Ahmad; Al-Manaser, Ali (2021), “The Pre-Islamic Divine Name ʿsy and the Background of the Qur’ānic Jesus”, in Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association, volume 6, →DOI, pages 107–136
    • Dye, Guillaume and Manfred Kropp (2011) "Le nom de Jésus (‘Îsâ) dans le Coran et quelques autres noms bibliques: remarques sur l’onomastique coranique", in Figures bibliques en islam, sous la direction de Guillaume Dye et Fabien Nobilio
    • Fraenkel, Siegmund (1890), “Miscellen”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 4, pages 334–337
    • Jeffery, Arthur (1938), The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 219–220
    • Torrey, Charles Cutler (1933), The Jewish foundation of Islam‎[1], New York: Jewish Institute of Religion Press – Bloch Publishing Co., Agents, pages 50–51 no

    Malay

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    Proper noun

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    عيسى

    1. Jawi spelling of Isa.‎
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