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ṣ b ʿ

28 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Exod.8.15
Themes:finger·9toe·5digit·3color·2colour·2
POS shape:noun·20verb·6name·1adj·1

This root is attested across 7 Semitic languages in our index. Each section below shows representative lemmas; attested means a Wiktionary editor explicitly tagged the root, inferredmeans we derived it mechanically from the word's consonantal skeleton.

Etymology treehow this root diverged from Proto-Semitic through the family

*ṣ-b-ʿProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewהִצְבִּיעַצ ב ע— to point at (using one's finger)
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicצְבַעצ ב ע— to dip
Syriacܨܒܥܐܨ ܒ ܥ— color/colour, coloring/colouring
Assyrian NAܨܵܒ݂ܹܥܨ ܒ ܥ— to dye
Arabic
Arabicصَبَعَص ب ع— designate, point (at بـ (b-) or على something)
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezአጽባዕትጸ በ ዐ— finger, toe
Tigrinyaኣጻብዕܨ በ ዐ— finger

Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.

Imperial Aramaic

arc · 2 lemmas

Classical Syriac

syc · 3 lemmas
  • ṣeḇʿānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    color/colour, coloring/colouring
    From the root ܨ ܒ ܥ related to dyeing, and the verb ܨܒܥ (ṣbaʿ, “to dip, to immerse; to dye”) from Proto-Semitic *ṣabaġ-. Compare Arabic صِبْغ (ṣibḡ) and Hebrew צֶבַע (ṣéḇaʿ).
  • nounattestedWiktionary ↗
    dyeing
    Compare Arabic صُبَاغَة (ṣubāḡa) and Hebrew צַבָּעוּת (ṣabbāʿûṯ).
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    emphatic plural of ܨܒܥܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

aii · 8 lemmas
  • ṣāḇēˁverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to dye
    Inherited from Aramaic צְבַע (ṣəḇaʿ); compare Arabic صَبَغَ (ṣabaḡa, “to dye”), Hebrew צָבַע (tsavá, “to color, paint, dye”), Akkadian 𒍝𒁍𒌑 (/⁠ṣabû⁠/, “to soak, bathe”) and Ge'ez ጸብኀ (ṣäbḫä, “to dip”).
  • ṣabbāˁānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    dyer (person who dyes cloth or other material)
    Active noun of ܨܵܒ݂ܹܥ (ṣāḇēˁ, “to dip, dye”); compare Arabic صَبَّاغ (ṣabbāḡ) and Hebrew צַבָּע (tsabá).
  • ṣabbāˁānameattestedWiktionary ↗
    a surname
    Active noun of ܨܵܒ݂ܹܥ (ṣāḇēˁ, “to dip, dye”); compare Arabic صَبَّاغ (ṣabbāḡ) and Hebrew צַבָּע (tsabá).
  • ṣḇāˁtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    instance of dyeing, painting, coloring
    Instance noun of the verb ܨܵܒ݂ܹܥ (ṣāḇēˁ, “to dye”); compare Hebrew צְבִיעָה (tsvi'á) and Arabic صِبْغَة (ṣibḡa).
  • ṣuḇˁānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    dye, pigment
    Of the noun pattern 1u23ā, inherited from Aramaic צוּבְעָא (ṣuḇʿā), from Proto-Semitic *ṣabaġ-; compare Classical Syriac ܨܒܥܐ (ṣeḇʿā), Arabic صِبْغ (ṣibḡ) and Hebrew צֶבַע (tséva).
  • ṣbaˁnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    construct state singular of ܨܸܒܥܵܐ (ṣibˁā, “finger, toe, digit”)
    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
  • ṣabbāˁnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    construct state singular of ܨܲܒܵܥܵܐ (ṣabbāˁā, “dyer”)
    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
  • ṣibˁānouninferredWiktionary ↗
    finger, toe, digit
    Inherited from Aramaic אֶצְבְּעָא (ʾeṣbəʿā). The deletion of the initial alaph also occurs in Classical Syriac ܨܸܒ݂ܥܵܐ (ṣeḇʿā) and Turoyo ܨܰܘܥܐ (ṣawco); compare Arabic إِصْبَع (ʔiṣbaʕ) and Hebrew אֶצְבַּע ('étsba).
    ▸ 1 derivation

Hebrew

he · 8 lemmas
  • hitsbíaverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to point at (using one's finger)
  • etsba'ónnounattestedWiktionary ↗
    thimble
    From אצבע (etsbá, “finger”) + ־ון (-on).
  • ts'vi'útnounattestedWiktionary ↗
    hypocrisy (claim, pretense, or false representation of holding beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not actually possess)
  • tsiv'oníadjattestedWiktionary ↗
    colorful
  • tsiv'onínounattestedWiktionary ↗
    tulip
  • tséva'nouninferredT Judg.5.30Wiktionary ↗
    color, colour
    Compare Arabic صَبَغَ (ṣabaḡa, “to dye”), Aramaic צְבַע (ṣəbaʿ, “to dip, to dye”), Akkadian 𒍝𒁍𒌑 (/⁠ṣabû⁠/, “to soak, to bathe”), Ge'ez ጸብኀ (ṣäbḫä, “to dip”).
  • tsabá'nouninferredT Judg.5.30Wiktionary ↗
    a (male) painter.
    Compare Arabic صَبَغَ (ṣabaḡa, “to dye”), Aramaic צְבַע (ṣəbaʿ, “to dip, to dye”), Akkadian 𒍝𒁍𒌑 (/⁠ṣabû⁠/, “to soak, to bathe”), Ge'ez ጸብኀ (ṣäbḫä, “to dip”).
  • tsavá'verbinferredT Judg.5.30Wiktionary ↗
    painted; (he) colored, (he) dyed
    Compare Arabic صَبَغَ (ṣabaḡa, “to dye”), Aramaic צְבַע (ṣəbaʿ, “to dip, to dye”), Akkadian 𒍝𒁍𒌑 (/⁠ṣabû⁠/, “to soak, to bathe”), Ge'ez ጸብኀ (ṣäbḫä, “to dip”).

Arabic

ar · 4 lemmas

Ge'ez

gez · 1 lemma
  • ʾäṣbaʿtnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    finger, toe
    From Proto-Semitic *ʔiṣbaʕ-.

Tigrinya

ti · 2 lemmas
  • aṣabǝʿnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    finger
    From Proto-Semitic *ʔiṣbaʕ-.
  • ʾaṣbaʿtinouninferredWiktionary ↗
    finger

Related rootsshare 2 of 3 consonants with ṣ-b-ʿ

Compare two languages side-by-side

arc ↔ sycarc ↔ aiiarc ↔ hearc ↔ ararc ↔ gez