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Ab (Semitic)

Ab means "father" in most Semitic languages, sometimes extended to Abba or Aba.

Arabic
Aramaic
Hebrew
See also
References

Arabic

Ab ( ), from a theoretical, abstract form abawun (triliteral -b-w) is Arabic for "father". The dual is abaw ni or ab ni "two fathers" or "mother and father" ( b i-ka meaning "thy parents").

Li-ll hi ab -ka is an expression of praise, meaning "to God is attributable [the excellence of] your father".

As a verb, -b-w means "to become [as] a father to [somebody]" ( abawtu) or "to adopt [him] as a father" (ta'abb -hu or ista'b -hu).

In the construct state, Ab ( ) is followed by another word to form a complete name, e.g.: Abu Mazen, another name for Mahmoud Abbas.

Abu may be used as a kunya, an honorific. To refer to a man by his fatherhood (of male offspring) is polite, so that ab takes the function of an honorific. Even a man that is as yet childless may still be known as ab of his father's name, implying that he will yet have a son called after his father.

The combination is extended beyond the literal sense: a man may be described as acting as a father in his relation to animals, e.g., Abu Bakr, "the father of a camel's foal"; Abu Huraira, "father of kittens". In some cases, a man's enemies will refer to him in such a way to besmirch him, e.g. Abu Jahl, "the father of ignorance". A man may be described as being the possessor of some quality, as Abu'l Gadl, "father of grace", or "the graceful one"; Abu'l Fida, "father of devotion", or "the devout one". An object or a place may be given a nickname, such as Abu'l hawl, "father of terror", (the Sphinx at Giza). Abu'l fulus, "father of money", is frequently used to refer to a place where rumors have been told of a treasure being hidden there.

The Swahili word Bwana, meaning "mister", "sir", or "lord", is derived from the Arabic Abuna ( ), "our father".

Aramaic

The word abba in Aramaic corresponds to the emphatic or definite form of av, literally meaning the father, or O Father. Despite popular and persistent urban legend, it does not mean "daddy" or "pappa".^[1]

A transliteration of this Aramaic word appears three times in the Greek New Testament of The Bible. Each time the term appears in transliteration it is followed immediately by the translation ho pater in Greek, which literally means the father. In each case it is used with reference to God.

Mark records that Jesus used the term when praying in Gethsemane shortly before his death, saying: Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want. (Mark 14:36)

The two other occurrences are in Paul s letters, at Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6. It seems evident from these texts that, in apostolic times, the Christians made use of the term Abba in their prayers to God.

The word Abba came to be applied as a title of honor to the rabbis in the early centuries of the Common Era and is found as such in the Babylonian Talmud. (Berakhot 16b) The one acting in the capacity of vice-president of the Jewish Sanhedrin already held the title of Av, or Father of the Sanhedrin. In later periods the title was also applied to the bishops of the Coptic, Ethiopic, and Syrian churches and, more particularly, became the title of the Bishop of Alexandria. The English words abbot and abbey are both derived from the Aramaic abba. Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate, objected to the use of the title abbot as applied to the Catholic monks in his time and did so on the basis that it violated Jesus instructions at Matthew 23:9: Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One.

The name Barabbas in the New Testament comes from the Aramaic phrase Bar Abba meaning "son of the father".

Hebrew

Av means "father" in Hebrew. The exact meaning of the element ab ( ) or abi ( ) in Hebrew personal names (such as Ab-ram, Ab-i-ram, Ah-ab, Jo-ab) is a matter of dispute. The identity of the -i- with the first person pronominal suffix (as in Adona-i), changing "father" to "my father", is uncertain, it might also be simply a connecting vowel. The compound may either express a nominal phrase (Ab[i]ram = "[my] father is exalted") or simply an apposition (Ab[i]ram = "father of exaltedness"). Forms with the connecting vowel and with the pronominal suffix were likely confused, so that the translation will depend on what is meaningful in connection with the second element.