بءبء

Root entry · 17 derived lemmas

This root primarily relates to expressions of endearment and affection, particularly the phrase 'my father be your ransom'. It extends to concepts of leadership, origin, and sometimes to sounds or actions associated with these themes.

Derived headwords

بَأْبَأَةnoun

1.
expression of endearmentclassical
Saying 'my father be your ransom' to a companion, meaning 'I would ransom you with my father'.
2.
babbling soundclassical
A sound made to a child, akin to 'babbling' or 'papa'.

بَأْبَأَverb

1.
to say 'my father be your ransom'classical
To say to someone, 'my father be your ransom', expressing a desire to ransom them.
2.
to say 'papa'classical
To say 'papa' to a child, or for a father to say 'papa' to his child.
3.
to soothe a childclassical
To speak to a child with words of endearment, like 'my father and mother be your ransom'.
4.
to make a soundclassical
To make a specific sound, like the braying of a camel or the sound a stallion makes.
5.
to hastenclassical
To move quickly or speed up.

وصاحب ذي غمرة داجيته، ... بأبأته، وإن أبى فديته — And a companion of a dark, deep pool I kept company with, I soothed him, and if he refused, I ransomed him

بَأْبَأَ بِهِverb

1.
to say 'my father be your ransom'classical
To say to someone, 'my father be your ransom', expressing a desire to ransom them.
2.
to say 'papa'classical
To say 'papa' to a child.

بَأْبَأَ الصَّبِيَّverb

1.
to say 'papa' to the childclassical
For a father to say 'papa' to his child.
2.
to say 'papa' to the childclassical
For a child to say 'papa' to his father.

بَأْبَأَ الصَّبِيَّ بِئْبَاءverb

1.
to say 'my father'classical
To say 'my father' to a child.

بَأْبَأَ بِهِ بئْبَاءverb

1.
to say 'my father'classical
To say 'my father' to a child.

بَأْبَأْتُ مِنَ البَأْبَأَةِverb

1.
to say 'papa' excessivelyclassical
To say 'papa' frequently or excessively.

بَأْبَأَ الفَحْلُverb

1.
to make a rumbling soundclassical
The sound a stallion makes when calling, characterized by a repetition of the 'ba' sound.

تَبَأْبَأَverb

1.
to runclassical
To run or move swiftly.

تَبَأْبَؤُا عَلَيْهِverb

1.
to show gentlenessclassical
To display gentleness or kindness towards someone.

البَأْبَأُnoun

1.
expression of endearmentclassical
An expression similar to 'my father be your ransom', used in a way that the initial 'ba' becomes part of the word, like 'salsal' or 'qalqal'.

البَأْبَاءnoun

1.
lulling a childclassical
The act of a woman lulling her child with soothing words.
2.
calling a catclassical
The sound made to call a cat, also known as 'al-ghass'.

وهن أهل ما يبأبين — And they are people who call out 'my father be your ransom' (referring to horses being called to)

البُؤْبُؤُnoun

1.
lord, distinguished personclassical
A distinguished, witty, and light-hearted person; a lord or master.
2.
origin, rootclassical
The origin or root of something, whether noble or base.
3.
scholar, teacherclassical
A learned person or a teacher.
4.
pupil of the eyeclassical
The pupil of the eye.

قد فاقت البؤبؤ البؤيبيه — She surpassed the lord, the lady

البُؤْبُؤُ (بلا مد)noun

1.
lord, distinguished personclassical
A lord or master, without the long vowel.

في بؤبؤ المجد وبحبوح الكرم — In the heart of glory and the expanse of generosity

البُؤَيْبِيَّةnoun

1.
lady, distinguished womanclassical
A female counterpart to 'al-bu'bu'', a distinguished lady.

بُؤْبُؤُ صِدْقٍnoun

1.
true originclassical
A true or noble origin or foundation.

أنا في بؤبؤ صدق، ... نعم، وفي أكرم أصل — Indeed, I am of a true origin, and of the noblest lineage

بِئْبَاؤُهُnoun

1.
his ransomclassical
The act of ransoming someone, particularly with the phrase 'my father be your ransom'.

وبئباؤه حجأ أحجؤه — And his ransom made me rejoice, I made him rejoice

Parallel reading

البأبأة قول الإنسان لصاحبه بأبي أنت

Al-ba'ba'ah is a person saying to his companion, 'My father be your ransom'.

ومعناه أفديك بأبي

And its meaning is: I ransom you with my father.

قال ومن العرب من يقول: وا بأبا أنت

And some Arabs say: 'Wa abaa anta' (O my father!).

قال أبو منصور: وهذا كقوله يا ويلتى

Abu Mansur said: This is like his saying, 'Ya waylata' (O my woe!).

فقلب الياء ألفا

So they changed the 'ya' to an 'alif'.

وكذلك يا أبتا معناه يا أبتي

And likewise 'Ya abataa' means 'Ya abati' (O my father).

ثم حذف الألف

Then he deleted the alif.

ومن قال يا بيبا حول الهمزة ياء والأصل: يا بأبا معناه يا بأبي

And whoever says 'Ya bibaa' changed the hamza to a ya, and the original was: 'Ya ababa', meaning 'Ya ababi' (O my father).

والفعل من هذا بأبأ يبأبئ بأبأة

And the verb from this is 'ba'ba'a' yuba'bi'u ba'ba'atan.

وبأبأت الصبي وبأبأت به: قلت له بأبي أنت وأمي

And I said 'ba'ba'ta' to the child and 'ba'ba'ta bihi': I said to him, 'My father and mother be your ransom'.

وبأبأته، وإن أبى فديته

And I said 'ba'ba'tuhu' to him, and if he refused, I ransomed him.

وبأبأته أيضا، وبأبأت به قلت له: بابا

And I also said 'ba'ba'tuhu', and 'ba'ba'ta bihi', meaning I said to him: 'Papa'.

وقالوا: بأبأ الصبي أبوه إذا قال له: بابا

And they said: 'The father said 'ba'ba'a' to the child when he said to him: 'Papa'.

وقال الفراء: بأبأت بالصبي بئباء إذا قلت له: بأبي

And Al-Farra' said: 'Ba'ba'ta bi-l-sabiyyi bi'ibaa'an' if you said to him: 'My father'.

فما مثال البأبأة عندك الآن؟

So what is the pattern of 'al-ba'ba'ah' with you now?

أتزنها على لفظها في الأصل، فتقول مثالها البقبقة بمنزلة الصلصلة والقلقلة؟

Do you weigh it according to its original form, so you say its pattern is 'baqbaqah' like 'salsalah' and 'qalqalah'?

فقال: بل أزنها على ما صارت إليه، وأترك ما كانت قبل عليه، فأقول: الفعللة.

He said: Rather, I weigh it according to what it has become, and I leave what it was before, so I say: 'Fa'lalah'.

وعلى هذا منها البأب، فصار فعلا من باب سلس وقلق؛

And based on this is 'al-ba'b', which became a verb like 'salsala' and 'qalqala'.

يا بأبي أنت، ويا فوق البأب

'O my father be your ransom', and 'O above the 'ba'b'.

إذا ما القبائل بأبأننا، ... فماذا نرجي ببئبائها؟

When the tribes showed us gentleness, ... what do we hope for from their gentleness?

وهن أهل ما يبأبين

And they are people who call out 'my father be your ransom' (referring to horses being called to).

أي يقال لها: بأبي فرسي نجاني من كذا؛

Meaning it is said to them: 'My father, my horse, saved me from such and such'.

وما فيهما صلة معناه أنهن، يعني الخيل، أهل للمناغاة بهذا الكلام كما يرقص الصبي؛

And 'ma fihima' is a connection, meaning they, i.e., the horses, are suited for this kind of affectionate talk as a child is soothed.

وبأبأ الفحل، وهو ترجيع الباء في هديره.

And the stallion made a 'ba'ba'a' sound, which is the repetition of the 'ba' in its roar.

وبأبأ الرجل: أسرع.

And the man hastened.

وبأبأنا أي أسرعنا.

And we hastened.

وتبأبأت تبأبؤا إذا عدوت.

And you ran a 'taba'ba'a' if you ran.

والبؤبؤ: السيد الظريف الخفيف.

And 'al-bu'bu'' is the witty, light-hearted lord.

قال الجوهري: والبؤبؤ: الأصل، وقيل الأصل الكريم أو الخسيس.

Al-Jawhari said: And 'al-bu'bu'' is the origin, or it is said to be the noble or base origin.

وقال شمر: بؤبؤ الرجل: أصله.

And Shamir said: The 'bu'bu'' of a man is his origin.

وقال أبو عمرو: البؤبؤ: العالم المعلم.

And Abu Amr said: 'Al-bu'bu'' is the learned teacher.

يقال: فلان في بؤبؤ الكرم.

It is said: 'So-and-so is in the heart of generosity'.

ويقال: البؤبؤ إنسان العين.

And it is said: 'Al-bu'bu'' is the pupil of the eye.

وفي التهذيب: البؤبؤ: عير العين.

And in Al-Tahdhib: 'Al-bu'bu'' is the pupil of the eye.

قال: البؤبؤ: بؤبؤ العين، وأنشد شاهدا على البؤبؤ بمعنى السيد قول الراجز في صفة امرأة:

He said: 'Al-bu'bu'' is the pupil of the eye, and he cited as evidence for 'al-bu'bu'' meaning lord, the saying of a poet describing a woman:

في بؤبؤ المجد وبحبوح الكرم

In the heart of glory and the expanse of generosity.

قال وكأنهما لغتان، التهذيب، وأنشد ابن السكيت:

He said: And it seems they are two languages. Al-Tahdhib, and Ibn Al-Sikkit narrated:

ولكن يبأبئه بؤبؤ، ... وبئباؤه حجأ أحجؤه

But a lord ransoms him, ... and his ransom makes me rejoice, I make him rejoice.

قال ابن السكيت: يبأبئه: يفديه، بؤبؤ: سيد كريم، بئباؤه: تفديته، وحجأ: أي فرح، أحجؤه: أفرح به.

Ibn Al-Sikkit said: 'Yuba'bi'uhu' means: he ransoms him; 'bu'bu'' means: a noble lord; 'bi'ba'uhu' means: his ransom; 'haja'a' means: he rejoiced; 'uhajji'uhu': I make him rejoice.

ويقال فلان في بؤبؤ صدق أي أصل صدق،

And it is said: 'So-and-so is in 'bu'bu' sidqin', meaning a true origin.

أنا في بؤبؤ صدق، ... نعم، وفي أكرم أصل

Indeed, I am of a true origin, and of the noblest lineage.