زبون

Arabic

Etymology

Borrowed from Aramaic זָבוֹנָא / ܙܳܒܘܿܢܳܐ (zāḇōnā, “buyer”). Its root is cognate to Arabic ز م ل (z-m-l), و ز ن (w-z-n).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za.buːn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

زَبُون • (zabūn) m (plural زَبَائِن (zabāʔin) or زُبَنَاء (zubanāʔ))

1. customer, client

Declension

Related terms

• زِبَانَة (zibāna, “customer base”)
• زَبَنَ (zabana)
• زَبَّنَ (zabbana, “to give customers to”)
• زَابَنَ (zābana)

References

• “zbwn²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “زبون”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎ (in French), volume 1, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 580
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 189
• Freytag, Georg (1833) “زبون”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎ (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 224
• Růžička, Rudolf (1909) “Konsonantische Dissimilation in den semitischen Sprachen”, in Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (in German), volume VI, number 4, Leipzig · Baltimore: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung · The Johns Hopkins Press, page 93
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “زبون”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎ (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 317

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic زَبُون (zabūn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za.buːn/

Noun

زبون • (zabūn) m (plural زباين (zabāyin), feminine زبونة (zabūna))

1. customer, client

Persian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Adjective

زبون • (zabun)

1. humbled, vanquished, helpless, abject
   • c. 1030, Fakhr al-Dīn Asʿad Gurgānī, ويس و رامين [Vīs u Rāmīn]‎:

     زنان گفتار مردان راست دارند
     به گفت خوش تن ایشان را سپارند
     زن ارچه زیرک و هشیار باشد
     زبون مرد خوش گفتار باشد

     zanān guftār-i mardān rāst dārand
     ba guft-i xwaš tan-i ēšān rā sipārand
     zan arči zīrak u hušyār bāšad
     zabūn-i mard-i xwaš guftār bāšad

     Women trust in the things that men say,
     They give up their bodies for a sweet word.
     Even if a woman is smart and astute,
     She is helpless before a man who speaks well.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. lowly, insignificant
3. despicable, vile

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Ottoman Turkish: زبون (zebun)
  • Turkish: zebun, zabun, zabın
• → Middle Armenian: զապուն (zapun)
  • Armenian: զաբուն (zabun), զապուն (zapun)
• → Laz: ზაბუნი (zabuni), ძაბუნი (żabuni)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

زبون • (zabun)

1. Colloquial-un form of زبان (zabân).

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic زَبُون (zabūn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zbuːn/,

• Audio (Amman)

  (file)

Noun

زبون • (zbūn) m (plural زباين (zabāyen), feminine زبونة (zbūne))

1. customer, client

See also

• بيّاع (bayyāʕ, “salesman, seller”)