g n b
40 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Gen.40.15
Themes:thief·6steal·3theft·2hump·2back·2
POS shape:noun·23verb·13prep·2name·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
*g-n-bProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewגַּבג נ ב— back (the rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly)
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicגנבג נ ב— to steal
Syriacܓܢܒܐܓ ܢ ܒ— thief
Assyrian NAܓܲܒܵܐܓ ܢ ܒ— hump or back of a camel, mountain, etc.
Arabic
Arabicجَنَبَج ن ب— to turn aside, decline
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Amharicገነባገ ነ በ— to build
Tigrinyaጉንቦገ ነ በ— ear of a plant like corn or sorghum
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 · 4 lemmas- to steal
- thief
- hero, champion
- thief
Classical Syriac
syc · 5 lemmas- thiefCompare Hebrew גַּנָּב (gannā́ḇ).
- thief
- theft, thieveryFrom ܓܢܒܐ (gannāḇā, “thief”), from the root ܓ ܢ ܒ related to stealing + the abstract noun ending -ܘܬܐ (-ūṯā).
- strong manAn intensified form of ܓܒܪܐ (gaḇrā, “man”) and Inherited from Aramaic גברא, from Proto-West Semitic *gabbār-. The Nun in the spelling serves to distinguish this word from ܓܒܪܐ. Compare Arabic جَبَّار (jabbār) and Hebrew גִּבּוֹר (gibbôr).
- OrionAn intensified form of ܓܒܪܐ (gaḇrā, “man”) and Inherited from Aramaic גברא, from Proto-West Semitic *gabbār-. The Nun in the spelling serves to distinguish this word from ܓܒܪܐ. Compare Arabic جَبَّار (jabbār) and Hebrew גִּבּוֹר (gibbôr).
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 8 lemmas- hump or back of a camel, mountain, etc.From Aramaic גַּבָּא (gabbā), from Proto-Semitic *ganb-; compare Hebrew גַּב (gav) and Arabic جَنْب (janb). The second noun is developed from the first noun’s derived preposition ܓܹܢ݇ܒ (gēb, “next to, with”).
- to kidnap, abductDerived from ܓܵܢܸܒ݂ (gāniḇ, “To steal”).
- to steal, robCompare Hebrew גָּנַב (ganáv) and Arabic جَنَّبَ (jannaba, “to put aside, keep away”).
▸ 1 derivation
- derivedܓ̰ܵܠܸܒ݂jāliḇ
- thiefActive noun noun of ܓܵܢܹܒ݂ (gānēḇ, “to steal”) indicating doing something frequently or habitually; compare Hebrew גַּנָּב (gannáv).
- theftOf the noun pattern 1u23ā; compare Classical Syriac ܓܘܼܢܒܵܐ (gunbā).
- construct state singular of ܓܲܒܵܐ (gabbā, “party, hump, side”)See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. For the preposition, compare Classical Syriac ܓܸܢ݇ܒ݂ (geḇ).
- next to, near, towards, by, alongsideSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. For the preposition, compare Classical Syriac ܓܸܢ݇ܒ݂ (geḇ).
- kingfishLiterally, “Stealer of fish”.
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- back (the rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly)From Proto-Semitic *ganb-.
- to stealCompare Arabic جَنَّبَ (jannaba, “to put aside, keep away”)
- thiefCompare Arabic جَنَّبَ (jannaba, “to put aside, keep away”)
- stolenPassive participle of גָּנַב (ganáv, “to steal”).
- to be stolen
- to smuggle
- to be smuggled
- masculine singular present of גָּנַב
Arabic
ar · 8 lemmas- to turn aside, declineRoot ج ن ب (j n b), a Proto-Semitic noun *ganb- (“side”).
- to avoid, to shun
- sideFrom the root ج ن ب (j n b). Has the form of an active participle but the corresponding verb جَنَبَ (janaba, “to ward off”) has the wrong meaning.
- besideFrom the root ج ن ب (j n b). Has the form of an active participle but the corresponding verb جَنَبَ (janaba, “to ward off”) has the wrong meaning.
- southFrom ج ن ب (j n b) with the base stem meaning “to go aside”, “to go far off in a direction”, ”to remove to a distance”, “to be remote”, “to change” or “to veer”, “to take off one's clothes” or “to lay them aside”. The direction originates as the name of a positively-viewed warm-moist southerly wind, the humid weather…
- plural of جَنْب (janb)
Amharic
am · 4 lemmas- to build
- tower
- forehead
- Ninth month of the Ethiopian calendar
Tigrinya
ti · 3 lemmas- ear of a plant like corn or sorghum
- forehead
- May