رقیب

See also: رقيب

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic رَقِيب (raqīb, “guardian, keeper”). The semantic shift is already found in medieval poetry: "guardian of the beloved [who prevents the lover from seeing her]" > "rival in love" > "rival, competitor [in general]."

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɾa.ˈqiːβ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [rä.qíːb]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [rä.qíːb]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [rä.qíːb]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [rä.qíb̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɹæ.ʁíːb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɾä.qíb]

Readings
Classical reading?	raqīḇ
Dari reading?	raqīb
Iranian reading?	rağib
Tajik reading?	raqib

Noun

رقیب • (raqib) (plural رقیبان (raqibân) or رقیب‌ها (raqib-hâ) or رقبا (roqabâ))

1. rival, competitor, adversary, antagonist
   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 98:

     بر رقیبان افکنی هر دم نظر حیف و دریغ
     اینچنین ضایع چه میسازی نگاه خویش را

     bar raqībān afkanī har dam nazar hayf u dirēğ
     īnčunīn zāyi' či mēsāzī nigāh-i xwēš rā

     Every moment, you cast looks at [my] rivals [in love]: such a pity, alas!
     Why do you waste your glances in such a way?

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. (archaic, original sense) guardian, keeper

   Synonym: نگهبان (negahbân)

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: rəqib
• → Georgian: რაყიფი (raq̇ipi)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: रक़ीब (raqīb)

  Urdu: رَقِیب (raqīb)

• → Ottoman Turkish: رقیب (rakib)

Further reading

• Vullers, Johann August (1856–1864) “رقیب”, in Lexicon Persico-Latinum etymologicum cum linguis maxime cognatis Sanscrita et Zendica et Pehlevica comparatum, e lexicis persice scriptis Borhâni Qâtiu, Haft Qulzum et Bahâri agam et persico-turcico Farhangi-Shuûrî confectum, adhibitis etiam Castelli, Meninski, Richardson et aliorum operibus et auctoritate scriptorum Persicorum adauctum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume II, Gießen: J. Ricker, page 48