حبذا

Arabic edit

Root
ح ب ذ (ḥ-b-ḏ)

Etymology edit

Univerbation of حَبَّ (ḥabba, “to like”) +‎ ذَا (ḏā, “this”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ħab.ba.ðaː/

Verb edit

حَبَّذَا • (ḥabbaḏā) (inconjugable)

how good is...! how lovely is...!
Synonym: نِعْمَ (niʕma)

Antonyms: بِئْسَ (biʔsa), سَاءَ (sāʔa)
- c. 12th century CE, 'Arqala al-Kalbi, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
  رَصَّعَ الشَّيْبُ لِمَّتِي يَا خَلِيلِي // بِنُجُومٍ طُلُوعُهُنَّ أُفُولِي
  كَانَ شَعْرِي كَمُقْلَتَيْكَ فَأَضْحَى // كَثَنَايَاكَ حَبَّذَا مِن بَدِيلِ
  raṣṣaʕa š-šaybu limmatī yā ḵalīlī // binujūmin ṭulūʕuhunna ʔufūlī
  kāna šaʕrī kamuqlatayka faʔaḍḥā // kaṯanāyāka ḥabbaḏā min badīli
  The greyness has embroidered my locks, oh my dear, // with the stars, their rise is my dusk.
  My hair was the colour of your eyes, and now // it became the colour of your teeth, what a wonderful change!
preferably, rather, better
- 2002 July 15, United Nations, A/57/PV.9‎^[1]:
  وَسَوْفَ تَسْعَى حُكُومَتِي جَاهِدَةً إِلَى تَحْقِيقِ ٱخْتِتَامِ المُفَاوَضَاتِ فِي هَٰذَا ٱلصَّدَدِ فِي وَقْتٍ مُنَاسِب، حَبَّذَا يَكُونُ قَبْلَ نِهَايَةِ عَامِ ٢٠٠٣.
  wasawfa tasʕā ḥukūmatī jāhidatan ʔilā taḥqīqi ḵtitāmi l-mufāwaḍāti fī hāḏā ṣ-ṣadadi fī waqtin munāsib, ḥabbaḏā yakūnu qabla nihāyati ʕāmi ʔalfayni waṯalāṯa.
  My Government will strive for the timely conclusion of negotiations in this regard, preferably before the end of 2003.