كبش

See also: كبس and كنس

Arabic

Etymology

A term of cultic significance, borrowed into Arabic from Aramaic, as shown by the consonantism. The late occurrence of Akkadian 𒆏𒋢 (kabsu, “young male sheep”) also implies Aramaic borrowing. Compare Soqotri كبڛ (kobŝ, “ram”).

Relation with Classical Syriac ܟܒܫܐ (keḇšā, “wether”)

Nöldeke and Fraenkel assumed that Classical Syriac ܟܒܫܐ (keḇšā, “wether”) represented a borrowing from Arabic. This hypothesis was put forth because the /š/ would have been irregular if both the Syriac and Arabic term descended from a shared form with Proto-West Semitic *ś (/⁠ɬ⁠/). This idea was thence repeated in Syriac and Mandaic reference works until the 21st century. However, this cannot be correct, since we would have expected a vocalization *ܟܰܒ݂ܫܳܐ (kaḇšā) - rather than ܟܶܒ݂ܫܳܐ (keḇšā) - if it had been borrowed from Arabic. Additionally, the Syriac term was already borrowed as Old Armenian քաւշ (kʻawš) in the 5th century.

Instead, the Syriac form is closer to Hebrew כֶּבֶשׂ (kéḇeś, “sheep”) and Phoenician 𐤊𐤁𐤔 (kbš, “sheep”).

A potential cognate outside of Semitic is Mingrelian ქაბლა (kabla, “calf”). Interestingly, Mingrelian ლ (l) (corresponding to Svan შ (š)) can reflect Proto-Kartvelian *lʿ (/⁠ɬ⁠/), close in pronunciation to Proto-West Semitic *ś (/⁠ɬ⁠/).

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kabʃ/

Noun

كَبْش • (kabš) m (plural كِبَاش (kibāš) or أَكْبَاش (ʔakbāš) or أَكْبُش (ʔakbuš) or كُبُوش (kubūš))

1. ram, male sheep
2. bellwether
3. chieftain, chief, head, leader
4. battering ram

   Synonym: مِدَقّ (midaqq)

Declension

Declension of noun كَبْش (kabš)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كَبْش kabš	الْكَبْش al-kabš	كَبْش kabš
Nominative	كَبْشٌ kabšun	الْكَبْشُ al-kabšu	كَبْشُ kabšu
Accusative	كَبْشًا kabšan	الْكَبْشَ al-kabša	كَبْشَ kabša
Genitive	كَبْشٍ kabšin	الْكَبْشِ al-kabši	كَبْشِ kabši
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كَبْشَيْن kabšayn	الْكَبْشَيْن al-kabšayn	كَبْشَيْ kabšay
Nominative	كَبْشَانِ kabšāni	الْكَبْشَانِ al-kabšāni	كَبْشَا kabšā
Accusative	كَبْشَيْنِ kabšayni	الْكَبْشَيْنِ al-kabšayni	كَبْشَيْ kabšay
Genitive	كَبْشَيْنِ kabšayni	الْكَبْشَيْنِ al-kabšayni	كَبْشَيْ kabšay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كِبَاش‎; أَكْبَاش‎; أَكْبُش‎; كُبُوش kibāš‎; ʔakbāš‎; ʔakbuš‎; kubūš	الْكِبَاش‎; الْأَكْبَاش‎; الْأَكْبُش‎; الْكُبُوش al-kibāš‎; al-ʔakbāš‎; al-ʔakbuš‎; al-kubūš	كِبَاش‎; أَكْبَاش‎; أَكْبُش‎; كُبُوش kibāš‎; ʔakbāš‎; ʔakbuš‎; kubūš
Nominative	كِبَاشٌ‎; أَكْبَاشٌ‎; أَكْبُشٌ‎; كُبُوشٌ kibāšun‎; ʔakbāšun‎; ʔakbušun‎; kubūšun	الْكِبَاشُ‎; الْأَكْبَاشُ‎; الْأَكْبُشُ‎; الْكُبُوشُ al-kibāšu‎; al-ʔakbāšu‎; al-ʔakbušu‎; al-kubūšu	كِبَاشُ‎; أَكْبَاشُ‎; أَكْبُشُ‎; كُبُوشُ kibāšu‎; ʔakbāšu‎; ʔakbušu‎; kubūšu
Accusative	كِبَاشًا‎; أَكْبَاشًا‎; أَكْبُشًا‎; كُبُوشًا kibāšan‎; ʔakbāšan‎; ʔakbušan‎; kubūšan	الْكِبَاشَ‎; الْأَكْبَاشَ‎; الْأَكْبُشَ‎; الْكُبُوشَ al-kibāša‎; al-ʔakbāša‎; al-ʔakbuša‎; al-kubūša	كِبَاشَ‎; أَكْبَاشَ‎; أَكْبُشَ‎; كُبُوشَ kibāša‎; ʔakbāša‎; ʔakbuša‎; kubūša
Genitive	كِبَاشٍ‎; أَكْبَاشٍ‎; أَكْبُشٍ‎; كُبُوشٍ kibāšin‎; ʔakbāšin‎; ʔakbušin‎; kubūšin	الْكِبَاشِ‎; الْأَكْبَاشِ‎; الْأَكْبُشِ‎; الْكُبُوشِ al-kibāši‎; al-ʔakbāši‎; al-ʔakbuši‎; al-kubūši	كِبَاشِ‎; أَكْبَاشِ‎; أَكْبُشِ‎; كُبُوشِ kibāši‎; ʔakbāši‎; ʔakbuši‎; kubūši

Derived terms

• كَبْش فِدَاء (kabš fidāʔ, “sacrificial lamb”)

References

• Corriente, Federico, Pereira, Christophe, Vicente, Angeles, editors (2017), Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou. Perspectives phraséologiques et étymologiques (in French), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 1089
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 109
• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2005) “*kabŝ- ~ *kabĉ-”, in Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volume II: Animal Names, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 154–155 Nr. 114