كربلاء
Arabic
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- كَرْبَلَا (karbalā)
Etymology
[edit]
Etymology uncertain. Many theories exist, some of which are:[1][2]
- Blend of كَرْب (karb, “distress”) + بَلَاء (balāʔ, “calamity”)
- كَرْبَلَة (karbala, “flaccid, loose, soft”), in reference to its soil.
- كَرْبَل (karbal, “Rumex plant”), due to its existence there
- Akkadian 𒆪𒉡𒀭 (“Near God, close to God”) (𒆪𒉡 (qarābu) + 𒀭 (ilu))
- Persian کار بالا (kār bālā / kâr bâlâ, “Deed up risen”)
- كُوَر (kuwar, “Villages”) + بابِلِ (bābili, “of Babylon”), due to its proximity to them.
- كَرْبَلَ (karbala, “to purify, to clean”)
Proper noun
[edit]كَرْبَلَاء • (karbalāʔ) f
- Karbala, a city in Iraq, holy to Shia Muslims as the site of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:كربلاء
Usage notes
[edit]According to al-Afghani, the hamza at the end was not pronounced at first and was added later.
Declension
[edit]| singular | basic singular diptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | — | كَرْبَلَاء karbalāʔ |
— |
| nominative | — | كَرْبَلَاءُ karbalāʔu |
— |
| accusative | — | كَرْبَلَاءَ karbalāʔa |
— |
| genitive | — | كَرْبَلَاءَ karbalāʔa |
— |
Descendants
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ al-Qummi, Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh (2008), Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Mīlāni, transl., Kāmil al-Ziyārāt, Shiabooks.ca Press, page 545
- ^ “كربلاء”, in Iran Arabic Radio[1] (in Arabic), IRIB World Service, 18 February 2007, archived from the original on 4 February 2017