See also: رپ, زب, and رث

Arabic edit

Etymology 1 edit

Root
ر ب ب (r-b-b)

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

رَبَّ (rabba) I, non-past يَرُبُّ‎ (yarubbu)

  1. to be master, to be lord
  2. to have possession, to gather, to control
  3. to have authority over, to govern
  4. to impact, to comprise, to contain
  5. to collect, to congregate
  6. to grow, to increase, to become greater
Conjugation edit

Verb edit

رَبَّ (rabba) I, non-past يَرُبُّ‎ (yarubbu)

  1. to bring up, to raise (a child)
Conjugation edit

Etymology 2 edit

Root
ر ب ب (r-b-b)

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

رَبّ (rabbm (plural أَرْبَاب (ʔarbāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb), feminine رَبَّة (rabba))

  1. verbal noun of رَبَّ (rabba) (form I)
  2. master, lord, king, sovereign, potentate
    Coordinate terms: عَبْد (ʕabd), خَادِم (ḵādim)
    رَبُّ الدَّارrabbu d-dārmaster of the house
    رَبُّ الْعَائِلَةrabbu l-ʕāʔilapaterfamilias
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:41:
      يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ
      yā ṣāḥibayi s-sijni ʔammā ʔaḥadukumā fayasqī rabbahu ḵamran waʔammā l-ʔāḵaru fayuṣlabu fataʔkulu ṭ-ṭayru min rraʔsihi
      “O my fellow inmates! One of you will serve his master wine; while the other will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. Thus the matter you are inquiring about is settled.”
  3. Lord, an epithet of God
    اَللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينallāhu rabbu l-ʕālamīnGod is Lord of the Worlds
    الرَّبّar-rabbthe LORD
  4. god, deity
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 12:39:
      يَاصَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللہُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
      [Joseph said:] "O my two companions of the prison! Are many different deities better than God the One [Who is the Source of all things], the Overpowering?"
  5. leader, chief, head
    رَبُّ بَحْرِيّrabbu baḥriyyseaman (naval rank)
  6. owner, proprietor
  7. (with a following genitive) one possessed of, one endowed with
  8. (with a following genitive) having to do with
Declension edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
  • Afar: Rábbi
  • Azerbaijani: rəbb, Rəbb
  • Bashkir: раббы (rabbı)
  • Bengali: রব (rbo)
  • Ottoman Turkish: رب (rabb)
  • (via plural) Ottoman Turkish: ارباب

Etymology 3 edit

Root
ر ب ب (r-b-b)

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

رُبّ (rubbm (plural رِبَاب (ribāb) or رُبُوب (rubūb))

  1. thickened fruit juice, thickened juice
  2. mash, pulp
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
See also edit

Etymology 4 edit

Root
ر ب ب (r-b-b)

From Proto-Semitic *rabb-.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

رُبَّ (rubba)

  1. (with a following indefinite genitive) many
    رُبَّ رَجُلٍ (rubba rajulin, many a man)
    رُبَّ مَرَّةٍ (rubba marratin, many a time)
Declension edit

Indeclinable, followed by the indefinite genitive singular.

Adverb edit

رُبَّ (rubba) (with following genitive)

  1. likely, perhaps, mayhap, potentially

Usage notes edit

Sometimes considered a preposition, an adverb or an adjective, it can mean both profusion (something happens a lot) or rarity (something could possibly happen). See the following example:

  1. رُبَّ فَقِيرٍ مُهَانٍ وَهُوَ غَنِيُّ ٱلنَّفْسِ.
    rubba faqīrin muhānin wahuwa ḡaniyyu n-nafsi.
    Many a despised poor man may have a rich soul.
    رُبَّ طَالِبٍ مُجْتَهِدٍ يَفْشَلُ.
    rubba ṭālibin mujtahidin yafšalu.
    Even a hardworking student can possibly fail.

Derived terms edit

Etymology 5 edit

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

رَبِّ (rabbi) (form II)

  1. second-person masculine singular active imperative of رَبَّى (rabbā)

Persian edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation edit

 

Readings
Classical reading? raḇḇ, raḇ
Dari reading? rabb, rab
Iranian reading? rabb, rab
Tajik reading? rabb, rab

Noun edit

Dari رب
Iranian Persian
Tajik раб

رب (rabb)

  1. master, lord

Proper noun edit

Dari رب
Iranian Persian
Tajik Раб

رب (rab)

  1. Lord
  2. God

Etymology 2 edit

From Arabic رُبّ (rubb).

Pronunciation edit

 

Readings
Classical reading? ruḇḇ, raḇ
Dari reading? rubb, rab
Iranian reading? robb, rab
Tajik reading? rubb, rab

Noun edit

Dari رب
Iranian Persian
Tajik руб

رب (rob)

  1. tomato sauce

Punjabi edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

رَبّ (rabbm (Gurmukhi spelling ਰੱਬ)

  1. Lord; An epithet for God.
    Synonyms: خُدا (xudā), الله, واہِگُرُو (vāhigurū)
  2. (in compounds) owner; possessor

Declension edit

Declension of رب
dir. sg. رَبّ (rabb)
dir. pl. رَبّ (rabb)
singular plural
direct رَبّ (rabb) رَبّ (rabb)
oblique رَبّ (rabb) رَبّاں (rabbāṉ)
vocative رَبّا (rabbā) رَبّو (rabbo)
ablative رَبّوں (rabboṉ)
locative رَبّے (rabbe) رَبِّیں (rabbiīṉ)
instrumental رَبّے (rabbe) رَبِّیں (rabbiīṉ)

Further reading edit

  • Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002) “رب”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
  • ਰੱਬ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2024

Urdu edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Classical Persian رب (rab, rabb), from Arabic رَبّ (rabb).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

رَب (rabm (formal plural ارباب, Hindi spelling रब)

  1. Lord; An epithet for God.
    Synonyms: خدا (xudā), الله (allāh), بھگوان (bhagvān)
  2. (in compounds) owner; possessor

Declension edit

Declension of رب
singular plural
direct رَب (rab) رَب (rab)
oblique رَب (rab) رَبوں (rabō̃)
vocative رَب (rab) رَبو (rabō)

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

  • رب”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • رب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
  • Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “رب”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.