صبي

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root ص ب و (ṣ-b-w).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤa.bijj/
• Rhymes: -ijj

Noun

صَبِيّ • (ṣabiyy) m (dual صَبِيَّانِ (ṣabiyyāni), plural صِبْيَة (ṣibya) or صِبْيَان (ṣibyān) or أَصْبٍ (ʔaṣbin) or أَصْبِيَة (ʔaṣbiya), feminine صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya))

1. boy, lad, youth

   Synonyms: فَتًى (fatan), غُلَام (ḡulām)

2. servant boy, servant

   Synonyms: غُلَام (ḡulām), خَادِم (ḵādim)

3. (rare) pupil (of the eye)

   Synonyms: بُؤْبُؤ (buʔbuʔ), حَدَقَة (ḥadaqa)

4. projecting or jutting part

Declension

Declension of noun صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَبِي ṣabī	الصَّبِي aṣ-ṣabī	صَبِي ṣabī
Nominative	صَبِيٌّ ṣabiyyun	الصَّبِيُّ aṣ-ṣabiyyu	صَبِيُّ ṣabiyyu
Accusative	صَبِيًّا ṣabiyyan	الصَّبِيَّ aṣ-ṣabiyya	صَبِيَّ ṣabiyya
Genitive	صَبِيٍّ ṣabiyyin	الصَّبِيِّ aṣ-ṣabiyyi	صَبِيِّ ṣabiyyi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صَبِيَّيْن ṣabiyyayn	الصَّبِيَّيْن aṣ-ṣabiyyayn	صَبِيَّيْ ṣabiyyay
Nominative	صَبِيَّانِ ṣabiyyāni	الصَّبِيَّانِ aṣ-ṣabiyyāni	صَبِيَّا ṣabiyyā
Accusative	صَبِيَّيْنِ ṣabiyyayni	الصَّبِيَّيْنِ aṣ-ṣabiyyayni	صَبِيَّيْ ṣabiyyay
Genitive	صَبِيَّيْنِ ṣabiyyayni	الصَّبِيَّيْنِ aṣ-ṣabiyyayni	صَبِيَّيْ ṣabiyyay
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـٍ (-in)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	صِبْيَة‎; صِبْيَان‎; أَصْبِي‎; أَصْبِيَة ṣibya‎; ṣibyān‎; ʔaṣbī‎; ʔaṣbiya	الصِّبْيَة‎; الصِّبْيَان‎; الْأَصْبِي‎; الْأَصْبِيَة aṣ-ṣibya‎; aṣ-ṣibyān‎; al-ʔaṣbī‎; al-ʔaṣbiya	صِبْيَة‎; صِبْيَان‎; أَصْبِي‎; أَصْبِيَة ṣibyat‎; ṣibyān‎; ʔaṣbī‎; ʔaṣbiyat
Nominative	صِبْيَةٌ‎; صِبْيَانٌ‎; أَصْبٍ‎; أَصْبِيَةٌ ṣibyatun‎; ṣibyānun‎; ʔaṣbin‎; ʔaṣbiyatun	الصِّبْيَةُ‎; الصِّبْيَانُ‎; الْأَصْبِي‎; الْأَصْبِيَةُ aṣ-ṣibyatu‎; aṣ-ṣibyānu‎; al-ʔaṣbī‎; al-ʔaṣbiyatu	صِبْيَةُ‎; صِبْيَانُ‎; أَصْبِي‎; أَصْبِيَةُ ṣibyatu‎; ṣibyānu‎; ʔaṣbī‎; ʔaṣbiyatu
Accusative	صِبْيَةً‎; صِبْيَانًا‎; أَصْبِيًا‎; أَصْبِيَةً ṣibyatan‎; ṣibyānan‎; ʔaṣbiyan‎; ʔaṣbiyatan	الصِّبْيَةَ‎; الصِّبْيَانَ‎; الْأَصْبِيَ‎; الْأَصْبِيَةَ aṣ-ṣibyata‎; aṣ-ṣibyāna‎; al-ʔaṣbiya‎; al-ʔaṣbiyata	صِبْيَةَ‎; صِبْيَانَ‎; أَصْبِيَ‎; أَصْبِيَةَ ṣibyata‎; ṣibyāna‎; ʔaṣbiya‎; ʔaṣbiyata
Genitive	صِبْيَةٍ‎; صِبْيَانٍ‎; أَصْبٍ‎; أَصْبِيَةٍ ṣibyatin‎; ṣibyānin‎; ʔaṣbin‎; ʔaṣbiyatin	الصِّبْيَةِ‎; الصِّبْيَانِ‎; الْأَصْبِي‎; الْأَصْبِيَةِ aṣ-ṣibyati‎; aṣ-ṣibyāni‎; al-ʔaṣbī‎; al-ʔaṣbiyati	صِبْيَةِ‎; صِبْيَانِ‎; أَصْبِي‎; أَصْبِيَةِ ṣibyati‎; ṣibyāni‎; ʔaṣbī‎; ʔaṣbiyati

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: صبي (ṣibi)
• South Levantine Arabic: صبي (ṣabi)
• Maltese: sabi
• → Bashkir: сабый (sabıy, “small child”)
• → Kazakh: сәби (säbi)
• → Uzbek: sabiy

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863) “صبي”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[1], London: Williams & Norgate
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “صبي”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[2], London: W.H. Allen

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤub.biː/

Verb

1. second-person feminine singular active imperative of صَبَّ (ṣabba)

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Gulf Arabic

Etymology 1

Root
ص ب ي
1 term

From the diminutive of Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤbaj/

Noun

صْبَيْ • (ṣbayy) m (dual صْبَيّين (ṣbayyēn), plural صْبَيّان (ṣbayyān))

1. boy

   Coordinate terms: بنية (bnayya), بنت (bint)

   Synonym: ولد (walad)

Etymology 2

Root
ص ب ي
1 term

From Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsˤɪ.bi/

Noun

صِبي • (ṣibi) m (dual صِبيّين (ṣibīyēn), plural صبيان (ṣibyān))

1. male servant of any age

   Synonym: دريول (drēwil)

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South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˤa.bi/, [ˈsˤɑ.bi]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

صبي • (ṣabi) m (plural صبيان (ṣibyān), feminine صبيّة (ṣabiyye))

1. boy, young man

See also

• ولد (walad, “boy; child”)