جابا

Ottoman Turkish

Alternative forms

• جابه (caba), جبا (caba)

Etymology

Derived from Arabic جَبَى (jabā, “to collect, to levy”) possibly through a noun signifying a type of extraordinary tax. Compare Semitic cognates: Hebrew גָּבָה (gāḇâ, “to levy”) and Classical Syriac ܓܒܐ (gəḇā, “to levy”).

Adverb

جابا • (caba)

1. (colloquial) gratis, free of charge, for nothing

   Synonyms: بداوا (bedava), امكسز (emeksiz), پاره‌سز (parasız)

Derived terms

• جب جبا (cap-caba)

Descendants

• Turkish: caba (“gratis, free of charge”, noun)
• → Egyptian Arabic: جبا (gaba)
• → Bulgarian: джа́ба́ (džábá)
• → Greek: τζάμπα (tzámpa, “gratis, for nothing, in vain”, adverb), τσάμπα (tsámpa), τζαμπέ (tzampé)
  • ⇒ Greek: τζαμπατζής m (tzampatzís, “freeloader”)
• → Serbo-Croatian: džaba (“for free, gratis”), džabe, džab-džabe

References

• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “جابا”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[1], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 633
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “جابا”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[2], Constantinople: Mihran, page 428
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “caba”, in Nişanyan Sözlük