نائب

Arabic

Root
ن و ب (n w b)
9 terms

Etymology

Derived from the active participle of نَابَ (nāba, “to represent, to act as a deputy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naː.ʔib/
• Rhymes: -ib

Noun

نَائِب • (nāʔib) m (plural نَائِبُون (nāʔibūn) or نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), feminine نَائِبَة (nāʔiba))

1. representative, delegate
2. deputy
3. vice-

Declension

Declension of noun نَائِب (nāʔib)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	نَائِب nāʔib	النَّائِب an-nāʔib	نَائِب nāʔib
nominative	نَائِبٌ nāʔibun	النَّائِبُ an-nāʔibu	نَائِبُ nāʔibu
accusative	نَائِبًا nāʔiban	النَّائِبَ an-nāʔiba	نَائِبَ nāʔiba
genitive	نَائِبٍ nāʔibin	النَّائِبِ an-nāʔibi	نَائِبِ nāʔibi
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	نَائِبَيْن nāʔibayn	النَّائِبَيْن an-nāʔibayn	نَائِبَيْ nāʔibay
nominative	نَائِبَانِ nāʔibāni	النَّائِبَانِ an-nāʔibāni	نَائِبَا nāʔibā
accusative	نَائِبَيْنِ nāʔibayni	النَّائِبَيْنِ an-nāʔibayni	نَائِبَيْ nāʔibay
genitive	نَائِبَيْنِ nāʔibayni	النَّائِبَيْنِ an-nāʔibayni	نَائِبَيْ nāʔibay
plural	sound masculine plural; basic broken plural triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	نَائِبِين; نُوَّاب nāʔibīn; nuwwāb	النَّائِبِين; النُّوَّاب an-nāʔibīn; an-nuwwāb	نَائِبِي; نُوَّاب nāʔibī; nuwwāb
nominative	نَائِبُونَ; نُوَّابٌ nāʔibūna; nuwwābun	النَّائِبُونَ; النُّوَّابُ an-nāʔibūna; an-nuwwābu	نَائِبُو; نُوَّابُ nāʔibū; nuwwābu
accusative	نَائِبِينَ; نُوَّابًا nāʔibīna; nuwwāban	النَّائِبِينَ; النُّوَّابَ an-nāʔibīna; an-nuwwāba	نَائِبِي; نُوَّابَ nāʔibī; nuwwāba
genitive	نَائِبِينَ; نُوَّابٍ nāʔibīna; nuwwābin	النَّائِبِينَ; النُّوَّابِ an-nāʔibīna; an-nuwwābi	نَائِبِي; نُوَّابِ nāʔibī; nuwwābi

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: naib
• → Catalan: naip
  • → Spanish: naipe
    • → Portuguese: naipe
• → Classical Persian: نَائِب (nā'ib), نایب (unhamzated)
  • → Armenian: նայիբ (nayib)
  • → Bengali: নায়েব (naẏeb)
  • → Chagatai: نائب (nʾʾb /⁠nā'ib⁠/)
    • Uyghur: نائىپ (na'ip)
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: नायब (nāyab), नाइब (nāib)

    Urdu: نائِب (nāib), نایَب (nāyab)

• → Hausa: nā'ìbī
• → Malay: naib
• → Ottoman Turkish: نائب
  • → Turkish: naip
• → Swahili: naibu

From the plural نُوَّاب (nuwwāb)

• → Classical Persian: نُوَّاب (nuwwāb), نَوَّاب (nawwāb)
  • → Bengali: নবাব (nobab)
  • → Gujarati: નવાબ (navāb)
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: नवाब (navāb)

    Urdu: نَوَاب (navāb)

Persian

Alternative forms

• نایب (unhamzated)

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic نَائِب (nāʔib).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /naː.ˈʔib/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [nɑː.ʔɪ́b]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [nɑː.ʔɪ́b]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [nɑː.jɪ́b]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [nɔː.jíb̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [nɒː.ʔéb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [nɔ.ʔíb]

• Rhymes: -ib

Readings
Classical reading?	nā'ib
Dari reading?	nā'ib
Iranian reading?	nâ'eb
Tajik reading?	no'ib

Noun

نائب • (nā'ib / nâ'eb) (plural نائب‌ها (nā'ib-hā / nâ'eb-hâ), or نائبان (nā'ibān / nâ'ebân), or نواب (nuwwāb / novvâb), Tajik spelling ноиб)

1. representative; delegate; deputy
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 226:

     آن که جان بخشد اگر بکشد رواست
     نایب است و دست او دست خداست

     ān ki jān baxšad agar bikušad rawā-st
     nāyib ast u dast-i ō dast-i xudā-st

     If one who bestows [spiritual] life should slay, it is allowable: he is the [Divine] vicegerent, and his hand is the hand of God.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. (in compounds, often unadapted from Arabic) vice-

   نائب‌السلطنه ― nā'ibu-s-saltana / nâ'ebo-s-saltane ― viceroy

Related terms

Persian terms derived from the Arabic root ن و ب (0 c, 3 e)

Descendants

• → Armenian: նայիբ (nayib)
• → Bengali: নায়েব (naẏeb)
• → Chagatai: نائب (nʾʾb /⁠nā'ib⁠/)
  • Uyghur: نائىپ (na'ip)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: नायब (nāyab), नाइब (nāib)

  Urdu: نائِب (nāib), نایَب (nāyab)

Further reading

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934), “نائب”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim
• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–), “نائب”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press.
• “نائب”, in Вожаҷӯ / واژه‌جو [Vožajü] (in Tajik), 2026

Urdu

Alternative forms

• نَایَب (nāyab)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic نَائِب (nāʔib)bor.

Classical Persian نَائِب (nā'ib)bor.

Urdu نائب

Borrowed from Classical Persian نَائِب (nā'ib), borrowed from Arabic نَائِب (nāʔib).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /nɑː.ɪb/

Noun

نائِب • (nāib) m (Hindi spelling नाइब)

1. naib, viceroy, deputy

Further reading

• “نائب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “نائب”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.