Ab or Av (related to

Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic ...

''abu''), sometimes Abba, means " father" in most

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigrant ...

. The original word of Aba or Ab is from Ge'ez language.

Arabic

''Ab'' (), from a theoretical, abstract form ( ''ʼabawun'') (

triliteral The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or "radicals" (hence the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowels ...

ʼ- b- w) is

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

for " father". The dual is ( ''ʼabawāni'') or ( ''ʼabāni'') "two fathers" or "mother and father" ( ''ʼābāʼi-ka'' meaning "thy parents"). ''Li- llāhi ʼabū-ka'' () is an expression of praise, meaning "to God is attributable he excellence ofyour father". As a verb, '' ʼ-b-w'' means "to become sa father to omebody (أَبَوْتُه ''ʼabawt-uh'', "paternity") or "to adopt imas a father" (تأَبَّبَهُ ''ta'abbaba-hu'' or اِسْتَأَبَّهُ ''ista'aba-hu''). In the

construct state In Afro-Asiatic languages, the first noun in a genitive phrase of a possessed noun followed by a possessor noun often takes on a special morphological form, which is termed the construct state (Latin ''status constructus''). For example, in Arabi ...

, ''Abū'' () is followed by another word to form a complete name, e.g.:

Abu Mazen Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...

, another name for

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Nati ...

. Abu may be used as a kunya, an honorific. To refer to a man by his fatherhood (of male offspring) is polite, so that ''ʼabū'' takes the function of an honorific. Even a man that is as yet childless may still be known as ''abū'' of his father's name, implying that he will yet have a son called after his father. The combination is extended beyond the literal sense: a man may be described as acting as a father in his relation to animals, e.g.,

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

, "the father of a camel's foal"; Abu Huraira, "father of kittens". In some cases, a man's enemies will refer to him in such a way to besmirch him, e.g. Abu Jahl, "the father of ignorance". A man may be described as being the possessor of some quality, as Abu'l Na'ama "father of grace", or "the graceful one"; Abu'l Fida, "father of devotion", or "the devout one". An object or a place may be given a nickname, such as Abu'l hawl, "father of terror", (the Sphinx at

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

). Abu'l fulus, "father of money", is frequently used to refer to a place where rumors have been told of a treasure being hidden there. The Swahili word ''

Bwana This is a list of English language words that come from the Niger-Congo languages. It excludes placenames except where they have become common words. Bantu origin *banjo – probably Bantu ''mbanza'' *basenji – breed of dog from the Congo * ...

'', meaning "mister", "sir", or "lord", is derived from the Arabic ''Abuna'' (), "our father".

Aramaic

The

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...

term for father is אבא (''abba'').

Judaism

The Aramaic term ''abba'' (אבא, he, אב (av), "father") appears in traditional Jewish liturgy and

Jewish prayer Jewish prayer ( he, תְּפִלָּה, ; plural ; yi, תּפֿלה, tfile , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with ...

s to God, e.g. in the Kaddish (קדיש, ''Qaddish''

, he, קדש (Qādash), "holy"). The ''

Pirkei Avot Pirkei Avot ( he, פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth''), which translates to English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from ...

'' ( he, פרקי אבות "Chapters of the Fathers") are a Mishnaic tractate of ''Avot'', the second-to-last tractate in the order of

Nezikin ''Nezikin'' ( he, נזיקין ''Neziqin'', "Damages") or ''Seder Nezikin'' (, "The Order of Damages") is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court s ...

in the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

. The tractate of ''Pirkei Avot'' deals with ethical and moral principles.

Christendom

A transliteration of the Aramaic term ''abba'' also appears three times in the Greek New Testament of the Bible. Each time the term appears in transliteration it is followed immediately by the translation ''ho pater'' in Greek, which literally means “the father.” In each case it is used with reference to God. Mark records that Jesus used the term when praying in Gethsemane shortly before his death, saying: “''Abba'', Father, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.” (Mark 14:36) The two other occurrences are in Paul's letters, at Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6. It seems evident from these texts that, in apostolic times, the Christians made use of the term ''’Abba'' in their prayers to God. Early Christian desert fathers are referred to as ''abba'': '' Abba Anthony'', '' Abba Macarius''. In

Oriental Orthodoxy The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent ...

some high ranking bishop titles derive from ''Abba'' ( Aboona,

Abuna Abuna (or Abune, which is the status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic and Tigrinya) is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as ...

). Some

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

literature translates ''abba'' to "daddy", suggesting that it is a childlike, intimate term for one's father. However, ''abba'', unlike "daddy", is used by adult children as well as young children, and in the time of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

it was neither markedly a term of endearmentJames Barr, "Abba isn't 'daddy'", Journal of Theological Studies, 39:28-47. nor a formal word. Scholars suggest instead translating it as "Papa", as the word normally used by sons and daughters, throughout their lives, in the family context.Mary Rose D'Angelo, "Abba and 'Father': Imperial Theology and the Jesus Traditions", Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 111, No. 4 (Winter, 1992), pp. 615-616 The name Barabbas in the New Testament comes from the Aramaic phrase ''Bar Abba'' meaning "son of the father".

Hebrew

''Av'' ( he, אָב, Standard ''Av'' Tiberian ''ʾĀḇ''

אבא ''Abba''; related to

''abu''; " father" ; plural: he, אבות ''Avot'' or ''Abot'') means "father" in Hebrew. The exact meaning of the element ''ab'' (אב) or ''abi'' (אבי) in Hebrew personal names (such as Ab-ram, Ab-i-ram, Ah-ab, Jo-ab) is a matter of dispute. The identity of the ''-i-'' with the first person pronominal suffix (as in

Adon Adon ( phn, 𐤀𐤃𐤍) literally means "lord." Adon has an uncertain etymology, although it is generally believed to be derived from the Ugaritic ad, “father.” Ugaritic tradition The pluralization of adon "my lord" is ''adonai'' "my lord ...

a-i), changing "father" to "my father", is uncertain; it might also be simply a connecting vowel. The compound may either express a nominal phrase (''Av am'' = " yfather is exalted") or simply an apposition. In the case of an apposition the second word would require a definite article (''Av hasafa'' = "father of the language", ''Ha''= the). The word generally used today for "father" in Hebrew is ''abba,'' though ''ab'' survives in such archaisms as ''Abi Mori'' ("My father, my master") and ''Kibud av wa-em'' ( "Honor of father and mother").

Coptic

In the non-Semitic

Coptic language Coptic (Bohairic Coptic: , ) is a language family of closely related dialects, representing the most recent developments of the Egyptian language, and historically spoken by the Copts, starting from the third-century AD in Roman Egypt. Copti ...

, ''apa'' means father. It was originally used as a title of reverence for clergy and was later extended to martyrs. Many variants are known. The form ''apater'' or ''apa pater'' appears at the beginning of the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

. ''Anba'' and ''ampa'' are attested variants, often used in Arabic among

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are ...

. In the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion, it is ''apou''; in the ''

Sayings of the Desert Fathers The ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' ( la, Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum; el, ἀποφθέγματα τῶν πατέρων, translit=Apophthégmata tōn Patérōn) is the name given to various textual collections consisting of stories and ...

'', it is ''abba'' or ''abbas''. The feminine forms ''ama'' or ''amma'' are used for nuns.

Aziz Suryal Atiya Aziz Suryal Atiya ( ar, عزيز سوريال عطية, ; July 5, 1898 – September 24, 1988) was an Egyptian Coptologist who was a Coptic historian and scholar and an expert in Islamic and Crusades studies. Atiya was the founder of the I ...

(1991)
Apa
''Coptic Encyclopedia'', vol. 1.

Somali

Father is translated ''aabbe'' or ''aabe'', with the definite article form ''aabbaha'' or ''aabaha'' (the father).

References

Citations

{{Reflist, 30em

Bibliography

Abba
(jewishencyclopedia.com)
Abi and Ab in personal names
(jewishencyclopedia.com) * Gray, ''Hebrew Proper Names,'' pp. 22–34, 75–86 * Edward William Lane, Arabic English Lexicon, 1893 Arabic words and phrases Aramaic words and phrases Hebrew words and phrases