ربما

Arabic

Etymology

Compounded of رُبَّ (rubba) +‎ مَا (mā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rub.ba.maː/

• Audio

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Adverb

رُبَّمَا or رُبَمَا • (rubbamā or rubamā)

1. perhaps, maybe
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 15:2:

     رُبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ

     rubamā yawaddu allaḏīna kafarū law kānū muslimīna

     Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims.

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “ربما”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN