محبت

See also: محبة

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian مُحَبَّت (muhabbat), from Arabic مَحَبَّة (maḥabba, “love”).

Noun

محبت • (muhabbet) (definite accusative محبتی (muhabbeti), plural محبتلر (muhabbetler))

1. conversation, chat, talk, banter, dialogue, discussion, interlocution, expression and exchange of ideas through talking with other people

   Synonym: صحبت (sohbet)

2. love, affection, fondness, attachment, tenderness, a strong bonding with someone or something, a deep caring for the existence of another

   Synonyms: سوكی (sevgi), عشق (ʼeşk)

3. friendship, the condition of being friends, a relationship of mutual affection between people, stronger than an acquaintance or association

   Synonym: دوستلق (dostluk)

Derived terms

• محبت آرا (muhabbet ara, “adorned with love”)
• محبت اوتی (muhabbet otu, “mandrake”)
• محبت ایتمك (muhabbet etmek, “to have affection for another”)
• محبت چیچكی (muhabbet çiçeği, “mignonette”)
• محبتكار (muhabbetkâr, “affectionate, loving”)
• محبتلشمك (muhabbetleşmek, “to enjoy a loving chat”)
• محبتلو (muhabbetli, “affectionate, loving”)
• محبتنامه (muhabbetnâme, “friendly letter”)

Descendants

• Turkish: muhabbet
• → Albanian: muhabet
  • → Aromanian: muabeti
• → Armenian: մուհապէթ (muhapētʻ)
• → Greek: μουχαμπέτι (mouchampéti)
• → Ladino: moabet
• → Macedonian: муабет (muabet)
• → Pontic Greek: μουχαμπέτι (mouchampéti)

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “muhabbet”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3276
• Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “muhabbet”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎^[1] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 794
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “محبت”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[2], Constantinople: Mihran, page 1126
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Amicitia”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[3], Vienna, column 56
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “محبة”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[4], Vienna, column 4424
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “muhabbet”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “محبت”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[5], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1757

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَحَبَّة (maḥabba). The predominant shift of the first vowel from /a/ to /u/ is due to analogy with the large number of Arabic participles with initial /mu/ such as مهندس (muhandis, mohandes, “engineer”), محاربه (muhāraba, mohârabe, “war”) etc.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [mu.haβ.bat], [ma.haβ.bat]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mo̞.ɦäb.bät̪], [mä.ɦäb.bät̪]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mo̞.ɦäb.bät̪], [mä.ɦäb.bät̪]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mʊ.wäb.bät̪], [mɑːäb.bät̪]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mu.wäb.bät̪], [mɔːäb.bät̪]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mo.ɦæb.bæt̪], [mæ.ɦæb.bæt̪]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mu.ɦäb.bät̪], [mä.ɦäb.bät̪]

Readings
Classical reading?	muhaḇḇat, mahaḇḇat
Dari reading?	mohabbat, mahabbat
Iranian reading?	mohabbat, mahabbat
Tajik reading?	muhabbat, mahabbat

Noun

Dari	محبت
Iranian Persian
Tajik	маҳаббат, муҳаббат

مُحَبَّت or مَحَبَّت • (mohabbat or mahabbat)

1. love
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume II, verse 1529:

     از محبت تلخها شیرین شود
     از محبت مسها زرین شود

     az mahabbat talx-hā šīrīn šawad
     az mahabbat mis-hā zarīn šawad

     By love bitter things become sweet;
     by love pieces of copper become golden;

2. affection
3. kindness

Descendants

• → Bashkir: мөхәббәт (möxəbbət)
• → Bengali: মহব্বত (mohobbot)
• → Gujarati: મોહબત (mohbat)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: मुहब्बत (muhabbat), मोहब्बत (mohabbat)

  Urdu: محبت (mohabbat, muhabbat)

• → Malayalam: മുഹബ്ബത്ത് (muhabbattŭ)
• → Ottoman Turkish: محبت (muḥabbet)
  • Turkish: muhabbet
  • → Albanian: muhabet
    • → Aromanian: muabeti
  • → Armenian: մուհապէթ (muhapētʻ)
  • → Greek: μουχαμπέτι (mouchampéti)
  • → Ladino: moabet
  • → Macedonian: муабет (muabet)
  • → Pontic Greek: μουχαμπέτι (mouchampéti)
• → Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਮੁਹੱਬਤ (muhabbat)

  Shahmukhi script: محبت (muḥabbat)

• → Tatar: мәхәббәт (mäxäbbät)
• → Uyghur: مۇھەببەت (muhebbet)
• → Uzbek: muhabbat, муҳаббат (muhabbat)

References

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “محبت”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim

Urdu

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic حَبَّ (ḥabba)

Arabic مَحَبَّة (maḥabba)bor.

Classical Persian مُحَبَّت (muhabbat)bor.

Urdu مُحَبَّت (muhabbat)

Borrowed from Classical Persian مُحَبَّت (muhabbat), borrowed from Arabic مَحَبَّة (maḥabba), from حَبَّ (ḥabba). First attested in c. 1564 as Middle Hindi محبت (mḥbt).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /mə.ɦəb.bət̪/, /mʊ.ɦəb.bət̪/, [mo.ɦəb.bət̪], [mɔ.ɦɔb.bət̪]

• Audio (Pakistan):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ət̪

Noun

مَحَبَّت or مُحَبَّت • (mahabbat or muhabbat) f (Hindi spelling मोहब्बत or मुहब्बत)

1. love
2. affection
3. dedication, attachment

Declension

Declension of محبت

	singular	plural
direct	مُحَبَّت (muhabbat)	مُحَبَّتیں (muhabbatẽ)
oblique	مُحَبَّت (muhabbat)	مُحَبَّتوں (muhabbatõ)
vocative	مُحَبَّت (muhabbat)	مُحَبَّتو (muhabbato)

Synonyms

• عِشْق ('iśq)
• پْریم (prem)
• پْیار (pyār)

Further reading

• “محبت”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
• Fallon, Platts, Qureshi, Shakespear (2024) “محبت”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Urdu Dictionaries]