Banū (بنو) or Banī (بني) 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 children of" or "descendants of" and appears before the name of a tribal progenitor. Another example of the usage is the Bani Quraish, the tribe from which

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

came, for which a Quranic Surah is also named.

Grammar

For example, "Bani Kaab" literally means the sons of Kaab: the house of Kaab. Due to the Arabic grammar rules, the word can sometimes become "Bani" depending on the context. For example, it is "Banu Kaab's language", but "belongs to the Bani Kaab". Sometimes, it's "Banis". An alternative transliteration of "Bani" is ''Banee'',"Banee Israel"
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vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

''Beni'' (''Béni'' in French transliterations). The word itself is derived from the same

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

as the

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

particle "ibn" or "bin".

Uses

"Bani Israel" is a common Arabic word for the children of Israel; a Quranic chapter is named so. The term itself is very close to its

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

counterpart: ''B'nei Yisrael (בני ישראל) (also ''B'nai Yisrael'', ''B'nei Yisroel'' or ''Bene Israel''). Other than tribes, persons can have the words in their name, Fatima bint Hizam was nicknamed Umm Baneen, "mother of many sons". Another use is the phrase ''Banu Adam'', denoting all the children of

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

. Since Adam is considered the first man in the Abrahamic religions, ''Banu Adam'' means "Humankind". "Bin Adam" (son of Adam) or "Bint Adam" (daughter of Adam) is used as a term for a "human being," especially when reminding or admonishing people to "act like human beings" (i.e. respect rules of

politeness Politeness is the practical application of good manners or etiquette so as not to offend others and to put them at ease. It is a culturally defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or ...

and propriety). "Banu" is the plural of the word "Ibn" or "Bin", which means "Son of". Paternal lineage was clearly identified in Arab history as a sign of good or bad standing. All names were followed by "Bin" (male) or "Bint" (female) and the name of the father. As a form of

Arabization Arabization or Arabicization () is a sociology, sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arabs, Arab, meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic, Arabic language, Arab cultu ...

, the word ''Beni'' has often been used in official place names or personal names instead of

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

names such as ''Ath'', ''Ayt'' and so on. For instance, Beni Yénni or Béni Ourtilane are nowadays the administrative names of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

n districts called ''At Yenni'' and ''Ayt Wartiran'' by their inhabitants.

References

Arabic words and phrases

Grammar

Uses

See also

References