ببر

See also: تثر‎, بتر‎, پتر‎, ثبر‎, تتر‎, تبر‎, بثر‎, and بئر‎

Arabic

بَبْرٌ

Etymology

Cognate to Classical Syriac ܒܒܪܐ‎ (bbrʾ) and cognate to Akkadian 𒌨𒁇𒊏 (barbarum, “wolf”), likely an early Semitic loan from Sumerian 𒌨𒁇𒊏 (urbarak, literally “outsider dog”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /babr/

Noun

بَبْر • (babr) m (plural بُبُور‎ (bubūr))

1. tiger
   • a. 869 CE, ‎الجاحظ, ‎كتاب التبصرة بالتجارة:

     ‏يُجْلَبُ مِنَ ٱلهِنْدِ ٱلبُبُورُ، وَٱلنُّمُورُ، وَٱلفِيَلَةُ، وَجُلُودُ ٱلنُّمُورِ، وَٱليَاقُوتُ ٱلأَحْمَرُ، وَٱلصَّنْدَلُ ٱلأَبْيَضُ […] ‎

     yujlabu mina l-hindi l-bubūru, wa-n-numūru, wa-l-fiyalatu, wa-julūdu n-numūri, wa-l-yāqūtu l-ʾaḥmaru, wa-ṣ-ṣandalu l-ʾabyaḍu […]

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   Synonym: نَمِر‎ (namir)

Declension

Declension of noun بَبْر (babr)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَبْر babr	الْبَبْر‎ al-babr	بَبْر babr
Nominative	بَبْرٌ babrun	الْبَبْرُ‎ al-babru	بَبْرُ babru
Accusative	بَبْرًا‎ babran	الْبَبْرَ‎ al-babra	بَبْرَ babra
Genitive	بَبْرٍ babrin	الْبَبْرِ‎ al-babri	بَبْرِ babri
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَبْرَيْن‎ babrayn	الْبَبْرَيْن‎ al-babrayn	بَبْرَيْ‎ babray
Nominative	بَبْرَانِ‎ babrāni	الْبَبْرَانِ‎ al-babrāni	بَبْرَا‎ babrā
Accusative	بَبْرَيْنِ‎ babrayni	الْبَبْرَيْنِ‎ al-babrayni	بَبْرَيْ‎ babray
Genitive	بَبْرَيْنِ‎ babrayni	الْبَبْرَيْنِ‎ al-babrayni	بَبْرَيْ‎ babray
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بُبُور‎ bubūr	الْبُبُور‎ al-bubūr	بُبُور‎ bubūr
Nominative	بُبُورٌ‎ bubūrun	الْبُبُورُ‎ al-bubūru	بُبُورُ‎ bubūru
Accusative	بُبُورًا‎ bubūran	الْبُبُورَ‎ al-bubūra	بُبُورَ‎ bubūra
Genitive	بُبُورٍ‎ bubūrin	الْبُبُورِ‎ al-bubūri	بُبُورِ‎ bubūri

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863), “ببر”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, page 147

---

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

From Greek πιπέρι, πιπεριά (pipéri, piperiá).

Alternative forms

• بوبر‎ (büber), بابری‎ (beberi)

Noun

ببر • (biber)

1. pepper (vegetable, plant, and spice)

Derived terms

• صو ببری‎ (su biberi, “water pepper”)

Descendants

• Turkish: biber
• → Armenian: բիբար (bibar), բիբառ (bibaṙ), բիբեր (biber), բիբեռ (bibeṙ)
• → Azerbaijani: bibər
• → Crimean Tatar: biber
• → Macedonian: бибер (biber)
• → Serbo-Croatian: бѝбер (biber)

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “ببر”, in Dictionnaire turc-français, Constantinople: Mihran, page 251
• Meyer, Gustav (1892), “Türkische Studien. I. Die griechischen und romanischen Bestandtheile im Wortschatze des Osmanisch-Türkischen”, in Sitzungsberichte der philosophisch-historischen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (in German), volume 128, Wien: In Commission bei F. Tempsky, page 28
• Redhouse, James W. (1890), “ببر”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 338

Etymology 2

From Persian ببر‎ (babr).

Noun

ببر • (bebr)

1. tiger

---

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian bplk' (babrag).

Noun

ببر • (babar) (plural ببرها‎ (babar-hâ))

1. (archaic) beaver

Etymology 2

ببر

• From Middle Persian bpl (babr, “tiger, lion, panther”), ultimately derived from Sumerian 𒌨𒁇𒊏 (urbarra, literally “outside dog, wild predator”) likely inherited from an Old Persian form, becoming semantically specified from the more general "wild predators".
• From Middle Persian bpl (babr, “tiger”), dubiously connected to Proto-Indo-Iranian *wy(H)āgʰrás. Cognate with Sanskrit व्याघ्र (vyāghrá) and related to Old Armenian վագր (vagr) and Old Georgian ვიგრი (vigri) (both loanwords from Iranian).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian): IPA^(key): /babɾ/

• (Dari): IPA^(key): /babɾ/

• (Iranian Persian): IPA^(key): /bæbɾ/
• (Tajik): IPA^(key): /babɾ/

Noun

ببر • (babr) (plural ببرها‎ (babr-hâ) or ببران‎ (babrân))

Dari	ببر
Iranian Persian
Tajik	бабр (babr)

1. tiger
2. (South Asia) lion

Derived terms

• ببر بَیان‎ (babr-e bayân)
• ببر سیبری‎ (babr-e sibri)
• ببر مازندران‎ (babr-e mâzandarân)
• ببر بنگال‎ (babr-e bengâl)
• ببر چینی‎ (babr-e čini)
• ببر سوماترایی‎ (babr-e sumâtrâyi)
• ببر بالی‎ (babr-e bâli)

References

• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971), “babr”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press
• Horn, Paul (1893) Grundriss der neupersischen Etymologie (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, page 42