אב

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word אב. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word אב, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say אב in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word אב you have here. The definition of the word אב will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofאב, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: אָבֿ, אָב, and Appendix:Variations of "ab"

Aramaic

Etymology

From Akkadian 𒌚𒉈 (Abum).

Noun

אַב • (ʾaḇ) m

  1. absolute form of אַבָּא (ʾabbā)

Proper noun

אָב • (ʾāv) m

  1. August
  2. Av

Descendants

  • Classical Syriac: ܐܒ (ʾāv)
    • Arabic: آب (ʔāb)
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܵܒ (ʾāb)
  • Turoyo: ܐܳܒ (ʾob)

References

  • “ˀb2”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 1

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
א־ב (ʾ-b)

From Proto-Semitic *ʔabw-. Doublet of אַבָּא (ába), which was borrowed from Aramaic. Cognate with Arabic أب.

Pronunciation

Noun

אָב • (áv) m (plural indefinite אָבוֹת, singular construct אֲבִי־, feminine counterpart אֵם)

  1. father, male parent
    • 2016, March 31, nrg
      יו"ר מרצ גלאון אמרה בעקבות שיחתו של נתניהו עם אבי החייל היורה מחברון: […]
      Yo"R mérets gal'ón am'rá b'ik'vót sikható shel n'tanyáhu im aví hakhayál hayoré mekhevrón:
      Chairman of Meretz Gal-On said, following Netanyahu's conversation with the father of the shooting soldier from Hebron:
  2. ancestor, forefather
  3. progenitor
  4. originator
  5. prototype
Usage notes
  • In Modern Hebrew, the singular construct form אַב is also used.
Declension
Derived terms

Noun

אַב • (av)

  1. singular construct state form of אָב (av)‎.

Etymology 2

From Akkadian 𒌚𒉈 (Abum).

Proper noun

אָב • (áv) m

  1. (Judaism) Av (the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar, after Tammuz and before Elul)
    • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:6:
      חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּשִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּתַמּוּז וַחֲמִשָּׁה בְּתִשְׁעָה בְאָב.
      Ḥamishá d'varím er'ú et avoténu b-shiv'a asár b-Tammúz, va-ḥamishá b-tish'á b-Av.
      Five things befell our ancestors on the seventeenth of Tammuz, and five things on the ninth of Av.
    • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Ta'anit 29a:
      אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר שִׁילַת מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמִּשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אָב מְמַעֲטִין בְּשִׂמְחָה — כָּךְ מִשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אֲדָר מַרְבִּין בְּשִׂמְחָה.
      amár rav y'hudá b'reh d'rav shmu'él bar shilát mi-shmeh d'rav: k-shem she-mi-she-nikhnás av m'ma'tín b-simkhá — kakh mi-she-nikhnás adár marbín b-simkhá.
      Said R. Judah son of Rav Shmuel son of Sheilath, in the name of Rav: just as when Av comes one decreases rejoicing, so too when Adar comes one increases rejoicing.
Derived terms
Descendants
See also

Further reading

Etymology 3

Root
א־ב־ב (ʾ-b-b)

Related to Akkadian 𒄧 (inbum), Arabic أَبّ (ʔabb, “meadow”), Aramaic אִנְבָּא.

Pronunciation

Noun

אֵב • (év) m (plural indefinite איבים / אִבִּים)

  1. swelling, spreading.
  2. the young shoots of a tree, opposed to the branches growing directly from the trunk.
    • Tanach, Song of Songs 6:11, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      אֶל־גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל
      el-ginát egóz yarádti lir'ot b'ibé hanákhal
      I went down into the garden of nuts, to look at the green plants of the valley
  3. (in the plural) state of growth, development
Derived terms

Anagrams

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia