ܓܒܪܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Root
ܓ ܒ ܪ (g b r)
4 terms

Etymology 1

From Aramaic גַּבְרָא (gaḇrā), from Proto-West Semitic *gabr-; compare Arabic جَبْر (jabr) and Hebrew גֶּבֶר (géver). Doublet of ܓܘܼܪܵܐ (gūrā, “large”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): [ɡo.rɑː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [ɡoːrˤɑː]
• (Tyari) IPA^(key): [ɡaw.rɑː]
• (Urmia) IPA^(key): [d͡ʒav.rɑː]

Noun

ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ • (gaḇrā) m (plural ܓܲܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ (gaḇrē) or ܓܘܼܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ (guḇrē) or ܓܘܼܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܢܹܐ (guḇrānē) or ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܢܹܐ (gaḇrānē), feminine ܒܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ (baḵtā))

1. man (adult human male)

   ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ܚܲܟܝܼܡܵܐ ܝܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܥܲܡ ܥܘܼܬܪܹܗ. ― gaḇrā ḥakīmā ìwā ˁam ˁutrēh. ― He was a wise man with his wealth.

2. husband (male spouse)

   ܟܹܐ ܦܵܠܚܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܥܲܡ ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ܕܫܲܡܝܼܪܵܡ. ― kē pālḥēn wā ˁam gaḇrā dšamīrām. ― I used to work with Shamiram's husband.

Usage notes

• The plural ܓܘܼܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ (guḇrē) is used for the sense of men while the plural ܓܘܼܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܢܹܐ (guḇrānē) is used for the sense of husbands. The plural ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܢܹܐ (gaḇrānē) is pejorative.
• It is traditionally disrespectful and immodest for a wife to refer to her husband with this word, instead, she will use ܒܲܪ ܚܸܡܝܵܢ̈ܝܼ (bar ḥimyānī, literally “the son of my parents-in-law”).

Inflection

Inflection of ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f
singular	absolute	–		1st person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܝܼ (gaḇrī)		ܓܲܒ݂ܪܲܢ (gaḇran)
	construct	ܓܒ݂ܲܪ (gḇar)		2nd person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܘܼܟ݂ (gaḇrūḵ)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܟ݂ܝ (gaḇrāḵ)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (gaḇrāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ (gaḇrā)		3rd person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܹܗ (gaḇrēh)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܘܿܗ̇ (gaḇrōh)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܗܘܿܢ (gaḇrhōn)
plural	absolute	–		1st person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܝܼ (gaḇrī)		ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܲܢ (gaḇran)
	construct	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܲܝ (gaḇray)		2nd person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܘܼܟ݂ (gaḇrūḵ)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܟ݂ܝ (gaḇrāḵ)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (gaḇrāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܓܲܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ (gaḇrē)		3rd person	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܘܼܗܝ (gaḇrūh)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܘܿܗ̇ (gaḇrōh)	ܓܲܒ݂ܪ̈ܗܘܿܢ (gaḇrhōn)

Coordinate terms

• (gender, marital status): ܒܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ (baḵtā)
• (age): ܝܵܠܵܕ݇ܐ (yālā)

Etymology 2

Active noun of the verb ܓܵܒ݂ܹܪ (gāḇēr, “to get married”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): [ɡavvaːraː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [ɡawaːra]

Noun

ܓܲܒ݂ܵܪܵܐ • (gaḇārā) m (plural ܓܲܒ݂ܵܪܹ̈ܐ (gaḇārē), feminine ܓܲܒ݂ܵܪܬܵܐ (gaḇārtā))

1. one who marries, about to marry, set to marry

References

• “ܓܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ”, in Sureth Dictionary, Association Assyrophile de France, 2022 October 11 (last accessed)

Classical Syriac

Etymology

From the root ܓ-ܒ-ܪ (ɡ-b-r) related to being strong. From Proto-West Semitic *gabr-; compare Aramaic גַּבְרָא (gaḇrā, “man”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡavrɑ] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [ɡavre] (plural)

Noun

ܓܒܪܐ • (gaḇrā) m (plural ܓܒܪܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܐܢܬܬܐ)

1. man, husband
2. person, someone

Inflection

Inflection of ܓܒܪܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f	m	f
singular	absolute	ܓܒܪ		1st person	ܓܒܪܝ		ܓܒܪܢ
	construct	ܓܒܪ		2nd person	ܓܒܪܟ	ܓܒܪܟܝ	ܓܒܪܟܘܢ	ܓܒܪܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܓܒܪܐ		3rd person	ܓܒܪܗ	ܓܒܪܗ	ܓܒܪܗܘܢ	ܓܒܪܗܝܢ
plural	absolute	ܓܒܪܝܢ		1st person	ܓܒܪܝ		ܓܒܪܝܢ
	construct	ܓܒܪܝ		2nd person	ܓܒܪܝܟ	ܓܒܪܝܟܝ	ܓܒܪܝܟܘܢ	ܓܒܪܝܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܓܒܪܐ		3rd person	ܓܒܪܘܗܝ	ܓܒܪܝܗ	ܓܒܪܝܗܘܢ	ܓܒܪܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• → Proto-Kurdish: (“big; chief; elder, senior; grown-up, adult; venerable”)

  • Central Kurdish: گەورە (gewre)

    Southern Kurdish: گەورە (gewre), گەورا (gewra)

• → Middle Persian:

  • Book Pahlavi script: [Book Pahlavi needed] (GBRA /⁠*garbā; mard⁠/)

    • Persian: گبر (gabr) (see there for further descendants)

See also

• ܐܢܫܐ
• ܓܢܒܪܐ

References

• “gbr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 41b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 59b
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 202a-b