Ab or Av (related to Akkadian ''abu''), sometimes Abba, means "

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

" in most

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya language, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew language, Hebrew, Maltese language, Maltese, Modern South Arabian language ...

Arabic

''’Ab'' (), from a theoretical, abstract form ( ''ʼabaʼun'') (

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 vowel ...

ʼ- b- w) is

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

for "

". 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 that consists 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 ex ...

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

Abu Mazen Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

, another name for

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

. 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 who 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 Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa (23 August 634), better known by his ''Kunya (Arabic), kunya'' Abu Bakr, was a senior Sahaba, companion, the closest friend, and father-in-law of Muhammad. He served as the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruli ...

, "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 A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

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

Aramaic

The

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

term for

is אב (''av''), but when speaking to someone (equivalent to the vocative in Latin), it is אבא (''abba''), which is how it appears transliterated in the New Testament in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.

Judaism

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

Jewish prayer Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the ' ...

s to God, e.g. in the

Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...

(קדיש, ''Qaddish''

, (Qādash), "holy"). The ''

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

'' ( "Chapters of the Fathers") are a

Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

ic tractate of ''Avot'', the second-to-last tractate in the order of

Nezikin ''Nezikin'' ( ''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 system. Nezikin co ...

in the

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

. The tractate of ''Pirkei Avot'' deals with ethical and moral principles. Abba is a common given name in the Talmud. It is also used there as a title or honorific for religious scholars or leaders.

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 The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...

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 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...

some high ranking bishop titles derive from ''Abba'' ( Aboona, Abuna), as does the monastic title

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Protestantism, Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the O ...

. Some

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

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

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

it was neither markedly a

term of endearment A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their ch ...

James 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 According to the New Testament, Barabbas () was a Jewish bandit and rabble-rouser who was imprisoned by the Judaea (Roman province), Roman occupation in Jerusalem, only to be chosen over Jesus by a crowd to be pardoned by Roman governor Pontius ...

in the New Testament comes from the Aramaic phrase ''Bar Abba'' meaning "son of the father".

Hebrew

''Av'' (, Standard ''Av'' Tiberian ''ʾĀḇ''

אבא ''Abba''; related to Akkadian ''abu''; "

"; plural: ''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 Adona-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 () is a dormant language, dormant Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language. It is a group of closely related Egyptian dialects, representing the most recent developments of the Ancient Egyptian language, Egyptian language, and histori ...

, ''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 known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...

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

Copts Copts (; ) are a Christians, Christian ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptians, Egyptian population, des ...

. In the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion, it is ''apou''; in the '' Sayings of the Desert Fathers'', it is ''abba'' or ''abbas''. The feminine forms ''ama'' or ''amma'' are used for nuns.

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