אב

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 (āb)
• Turoyo: ܐܳܒ (ob)

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

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔaːb/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʔɔːv/, [ˈʔɔː.ɔv]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʔɔv/, [ˈʔɔːv]
• (Iraqi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔab/
• (Syrian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ab/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ɔv/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)av/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

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

1. father (a male parent, especially of a human; a male who parents a child (which he has sired, adopted, fostered, taken as his own, etc.))
   • 2016, March 31, nrg

     יו"ר מרצ גלאון אמרה בעקבות שיחתו של נתניהו עם אבי החייל היורה מחברון: […]

     Yo"R [yoshévet rósh] 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

Declension of אָב

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	אָב	first	אָבִי		אָבִינוּ
	definite	הָאָב	second	אָבִיךָ	אָבִיךְ	אֲבִיכֶם	אֲבִיכֶן
	construct	אֲבִי־	third	אָבִיו	אָבִיהָ	אֲבִיהֶם	אֲבִיהֶן
plural	indefinite	אָבוֹת	first	אבותיי / אֲבוֹתַי		אֲבוֹתֵינוּ
	definite	הָאָבוֹת	second	אֲבוֹתֶיךָ	אבותייך / אֲבוֹתַיִךְ	אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם	אֲבוֹתֵיכֶן
	construct	אֲבוֹת־	third	אֲבוֹתָיו	אֲבוֹתֶיהָ	אֲבוֹתָם	אֲבוֹתָן

Derived terms

• אַבָּא (ába)
• אַבָּהוּת (abahút)
• אֲבָהִי (avahí)
• אבות אכלו בוסר ושיני בנים תקהינה / אָבוֹת אָכְלוּ בֹּסֶר וְשִׁנֵּי בָּנִים תִּקְהֶינָה (avót akh'lú bóser v'shiné baním tikhéna)
• אַב טִיפּוּס (av tipús)
• אֲבִיגַיִל (avigáyil)
• אֲבִי הָעוֹרְקִים (aví ha'orkím)
• אֲבִיעֶזֶר (avi'ézer)
• אֲבִישָׁלוֹם (avishalóm)
• אַבְנֵר (avnér)
• אַבְרָהָם (avrahám)
• אַבְרָם (avrám)
• תָּכְנִית אָב (tokhnít áv)

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

• תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב (tish'a b'áv)

Descendants

• English: Av, Ab
• German: Aw

See also

• (Hebrew calendar months) תשרי, חשוון, כסלו, טבת, שבט, אדר, ניסן, אייר, סיוון, תמוז, אב, אלול ^{(Category: he:Hebrew calendar months)}

Further reading

• אב on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Etymology 3

Root
א־ב־ב (ʾ-b-b)

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

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔib/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʔeːv/, [ˈʔeː.ev]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʔev/, [ˈʔeːv]
• (Iraqi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔeb/
• (Syrian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)eb/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ejv/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ev/

Noun

אֵב • (év) m (plural indefinite איבים / אִבִּים) [pattern: קֵטֶל]

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

• אֲבָבִית (avavít)

Anagrams

• בא