ربان

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ر ب ب (r-b-b), to be a caregiver or fosterer in charge of. Doublet of رَبّ (rabb) with the Arabic +‎ ـَان (-ān) suffix, in the sense of رَبّ بَحْرِيّ (rabb baḥriyy, “captain of a ship”), a proprietor or caretaker of a vessel. Alternatively a borrowing from Middle Persian equivalent to Persian (rahbân, literally “one who guards the way”), compare (rahbar, “guide”).

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -aːn

Noun

رُبَّان • (rubbān) m (plural رَبَابِين (rabābīn) or رَبَابِنَة (rabābina) or رُبَّانَة (rubbāna) or رُبَّانُون (rubbānūn) or رُبَّانِيَّة (rubbāniyya), feminine رُبَّانَة (rubbāna))

captain, pilot (the man in charge of a ship, yore and today, and also of aircraft)
- 2017 May 25, مانع سليمان, “القضية الجنوبية.. سفينة تغرق بخروق قباطنتها”, in Al-Jazīra‎^[1]:
  فأصبح لكل قبطان خط إبحار خاص به، يوحيه إليه النجم الإقليمي الذي يُسَيّرُ مغامراته على طوارقه أشرعته، أو الوجهة التي توجه إليها المجرة الدولية التي يهتدي بتوجهاتها في تحريك شراع طيشه، فتاهت وجهة القضية الجنوبية، بالجنون الذي يعيشه ربابنتها، وتخطفتها مخالب صراع القباطنة وأنياب الربانين^[sic]، الذين يتحدون في الصراخ، لكنهم يتشتتون في جهد الساعد وجهاد المساعد.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of noun رُبَّان (rubbān)

Singular	Masculine			Feminine
	basic singular triptote			singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رُبَّان rubbān	الرُّبَّان ar-rubbān	رُبَّان rubbān	رُبَّانَة rubbāna	الرُّبَّانَة ar-rubbāna	رُبَّانَة rubbānat
Nominative	رُبَّانٌ rubbānun	الرُّبَّانُ ar-rubbānu	رُبَّانُ rubbānu	رُبَّانَةٌ rubbānatun	الرُّبَّانَةُ ar-rubbānatu	رُبَّانَةُ rubbānatu
Accusative	رُبَّانًا rubbānan	الرُّبَّانَ ar-rubbāna	رُبَّانَ rubbāna	رُبَّانَةً rubbānatan	الرُّبَّانَةَ ar-rubbānata	رُبَّانَةَ rubbānata
Genitive	رُبَّانٍ rubbānin	الرُّبَّانِ ar-rubbāni	رُبَّانِ rubbāni	رُبَّانَةٍ rubbānatin	الرُّبَّانَةِ ar-rubbānati	رُبَّانَةِ rubbānati
Dual	Masculine			Feminine
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رُبَّانَيْن rubbānayn	الرُّبَّانَيْن ar-rubbānayn	رُبَّانَيْ rubbānay	رُبَّانَتَيْن rubbānatayn	الرُّبَّانَتَيْن ar-rubbānatayn	رُبَّانَتَيْ rubbānatay
Nominative	رُبَّانَانِ rubbānāni	الرُّبَّانَانِ ar-rubbānāni	رُبَّانَا rubbānā	رُبَّانَتَانِ rubbānatāni	الرُّبَّانَتَانِ ar-rubbānatāni	رُبَّانَتَا rubbānatā
Accusative	رُبَّانَيْنِ rubbānayni	الرُّبَّانَيْنِ ar-rubbānayni	رُبَّانَيْ rubbānay	رُبَّانَتَيْنِ rubbānatayni	الرُّبَّانَتَيْنِ ar-rubbānatayni	رُبَّانَتَيْ rubbānatay
Genitive	رُبَّانَيْنِ rubbānayni	الرُّبَّانَيْنِ ar-rubbānayni	رُبَّانَيْ rubbānay	رُبَّانَتَيْنِ rubbānatayni	الرُّبَّانَتَيْنِ ar-rubbānatayni	رُبَّانَتَيْ rubbānatay
Plural	Masculine			Feminine
	basic broken plural diptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; sound masculine plural			sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَبَابِين‎; رَبَابِنَة‎; رُبَّانَة‎; رُبَّانِين‎; رُبَّانِيَّة rabābīn‎; rabābina‎; rubbāna‎; rubbānīn‎; rubbāniyya	الرَّبَابِين‎; الرَّبَابِنَة‎; الرُّبَّانَة‎; الرُّبَّانِين‎; الرُّبَّانِيَّة ar-rabābīn‎; ar-rabābina‎; ar-rubbāna‎; ar-rubbānīn‎; ar-rubbāniyya	رَبَابِين‎; رَبَابِنَة‎; رُبَّانَة‎; رُبَّانِي‎; رُبَّانِيَّة rabābīn‎; rabābinat‎; rubbānat‎; rubbānī‎; rubbāniyyat	رُبَّانَات rubbānāt	الرُّبَّانَات ar-rubbānāt	رُبَّانَات rubbānāt
Nominative	رَبَابِينُ‎; رَبَابِنَةٌ‎; رُبَّانَةٌ‎; رُبَّانُونَ‎; رُبَّانِيَّةٌ rabābīnu‎; rabābinatun‎; rubbānatun‎; rubbānūna‎; rubbāniyyatun	الرَّبَابِينُ‎; الرَّبَابِنَةُ‎; الرُّبَّانَةُ‎; الرُّبَّانُونَ‎; الرُّبَّانِيَّةُ ar-rabābīnu‎; ar-rabābinatu‎; ar-rubbānatu‎; ar-rubbānūna‎; ar-rubbāniyyatu	رَبَابِينُ‎; رَبَابِنَةُ‎; رُبَّانَةُ‎; رُبَّانُو‎; رُبَّانِيَّةُ rabābīnu‎; rabābinatu‎; rubbānatu‎; rubbānū‎; rubbāniyyatu	رُبَّانَاتٌ rubbānātun	الرُّبَّانَاتُ ar-rubbānātu	رُبَّانَاتُ rubbānātu
Accusative	رَبَابِينَ‎; رَبَابِنَةً‎; رُبَّانَةً‎; رُبَّانِينَ‎; رُبَّانِيَّةً rabābīna‎; rabābinatan‎; rubbānatan‎; rubbānīna‎; rubbāniyyatan	الرَّبَابِينَ‎; الرَّبَابِنَةَ‎; الرُّبَّانَةَ‎; الرُّبَّانِينَ‎; الرُّبَّانِيَّةَ ar-rabābīna‎; ar-rabābinata‎; ar-rubbānata‎; ar-rubbānīna‎; ar-rubbāniyyata	رَبَابِينَ‎; رَبَابِنَةَ‎; رُبَّانَةَ‎; رُبَّانِي‎; رُبَّانِيَّةَ rabābīna‎; rabābinata‎; rubbānata‎; rubbānī‎; rubbāniyyata	رُبَّانَاتٍ rubbānātin	الرُّبَّانَاتِ ar-rubbānāti	رُبَّانَاتِ rubbānāti
Genitive	رَبَابِينَ‎; رَبَابِنَةٍ‎; رُبَّانَةٍ‎; رُبَّانِينَ‎; رُبَّانِيَّةٍ rabābīna‎; rabābinatin‎; rubbānatin‎; rubbānīna‎; rubbāniyyatin	الرَّبَابِينِ‎; الرَّبَابِنَةِ‎; الرُّبَّانَةِ‎; الرُّبَّانِينَ‎; الرُّبَّانِيَّةِ ar-rabābīni‎; ar-rabābinati‎; ar-rubbānati‎; ar-rubbānīna‎; ar-rubbāniyyati	رَبَابِينِ‎; رَبَابِنَةِ‎; رُبَّانَةِ‎; رُبَّانِي‎; رُبَّانِيَّةِ rabābīni‎; rabābinati‎; rubbānati‎; rubbānī‎; rubbāniyyati	رُبَّانَاتٍ rubbānātin	الرُّبَّانَاتِ ar-rubbānāti	رُبَّانَاتِ rubbānāti

Synonyms

قُبْطَان (qubṭān), إِشْتِيَام (ʔištiyām)

Descendants

→ Swahili: rubani

Noun

رَبَّان • (rabbān) m du

dual rectus of رَبّ (rabb)

References

Agius, Dionisius A. (2008) Classic Ships of Islam. From Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean (Handbook of Oriental Studies; 92), Leiden: Brill, pages 182–183
Eilers, Wilhelm (1962) “Iranisches Lehngut im arabischen Lexikon”, in Indo-Iranian Journal (in German), volume 5, number 3, page 221
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 221–22
Shapira, Dan D. Y. (2009) “Irano-Arabica: contamination and popular etymology. Notes on the Persian and Arabic lexicons (with references to Aramaic, Hebrew and Turkic)”, in Христианский Восток – Новая Серия, volume 5 (XI), Moscow: Издательство Российской Академии Наук и Государственного Эрмитажа, page 178
Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “ربان”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[2] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 444