زئبق

See also: زيبق

Arabic

Etymology

From Classical Syriac ܙܝܘܓ (zīwag), from a hypothetical Middle Persian [script needed] (*zywk' /⁠zīwag⁠/, “mercury”), whence also Persian ژیوه (žive). From Middle Persian [script needed] (zy(w)ndk' /⁠zīndag, zīwandāg, zībandāg⁠/, “living”), from [script needed] (zyw /⁠*zīwa-,*zība-⁠/, “live”), from Old Persian 𐎪𐎡𐎺 (ji-i-v /⁠jīva⁠/), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós. For the sense development compare English quick and quicksilver. Akin to Old Armenian սնդիկ (sndik), Middle Armenian ժիպակ (žipak), Iranian borrowings.

Noun

زِئْبَق • (ziʔbaq) m

1. (chemistry, uncountable) mercury (element), quicksilver

Declension

Declension of noun زِئْبَق (ziʔbaq)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زِئْبَق ziʔbaq	الزِّئْبَق az-ziʔbaq	زِئْبَق ziʔbaq
Nominative	زِئْبَقٌ ziʔbaqun	الزِّئْبَقُ az-ziʔbaqu	زِئْبَقُ ziʔbaqu
Accusative	زِئْبَقًا ziʔbaqan	الزِّئْبَقَ az-ziʔbaqa	زِئْبَقَ ziʔbaqa
Genitive	زِئْبَقٍ ziʔbaqin	الزِّئْبَقِ az-ziʔbaqi	زِئْبَقِ ziʔbaqi

Synonyms

• زَاؤُوق (zāʔūq)

Descendants

• → Middle Armenian: զիպակ (zipak)
• → Swahili: zebaki

Further reading

• Asatrian, Mushegh (2006) “Iranian Elements in Arabic: The State of Research”, in Iran and the Caucasus‎^[1], volume 10, number 1, page 101
• Ciancaglini, Claudia A. (2008) Iranian loanwords in Syriac (Beiträge zur Iranistik; 28)‎^[2], Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, page 174