Arabic: Etymology of الربيع

[Rainbowlight]

Hello,

I would like to know if there is a known etymology of the Arabic word الربيع.

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

 

[fdb]

The common noun rabīʻ means “spring” in modern Arabic, but the classic lexica are unanimous in stating that it is also (or even primarily) used for “autumn” and is synonymous with xarīf. The verb rabaʻa is supposed to mean “it rained” and there is a likelihood that rabīʻ actually means “rainy season”, which of course can be at different times in different regions. This is consistent with the Semitic parallels: Syriac rḇīʻā generally means “autumn rain”, and it occurs in the same meaning also in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic and Mishnaic Hebrew.

 

[WadiH]

You can find an extensive discussion here. I think it's original meaning is probably the growth of vegetation (herbage or fruit) after a rainy season, rather than rain per se. This is still how it's used in most dialects, especially bedouin and bedouin-influenced ones as far west as Morocco.

 

[Rainbowlight]

The common noun rabīʻ means “spring” in modern Arabic, but the classic lexica are unanimous in stating that it is also (or even primarily) used for “autumn” and is synonymous with xarīf. The verb rabaʻa is supposed to mean “it rained” and there is a likelihood that rabīʻ actually means “rainy season”, which of course can be at different times in different regions. This is consistent with the Semitic parallels: Syriac rḇīʻā generally means “autumn rain”, and it occurs in the same meaning also in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic and Mishnaic Hebrew.

I wanted to know if the English polysemy that happens in English with the word "spring" could also be translated to Arabic. "Spring" or "springtime" does translate as the first season of the year and it is associated with the growing of grass and a sense of youth and renewal. Fittingly, the English noun "spring" can also mean "to sprout", "source", even "fountain". Does that happen in Arabic too?

An interesting fact: There's a town in the Basque Country in Northern Spain that is called Fuenterrabía. I feel that the "rrabía" bit could have an Arabic origin. It's as if the name is a repetition of a word that could have the same meaning in two languages. Fuente (Spanish for "fountain" and "rrabía", which is Arabic for "spring"). I would like to know your opinion about this.

 

[Rainbowlight]

You can find an extensive discussion here. I think it's original meaning is probably the growth of vegetation (herbage or fruit) after a rainy season, rather than rain per se. This is still how it's used in most dialects, especially bedouin and bedouin-influenced ones as far west as Morocco.

I wanted to know if the English polysemy that happens in English with the word "spring" could also be translated to Arabic. "Spring" or "springtime" does translate as the first season of the year and it is associated with the growing of grass and a sense of youth and renewal. Fittingly, the English noun "spring" can also mean "to sprout", "source", even "fountain". Does that happen in Arabic too?

An interesting fact: There's a town in the Basque Country in Northern Spain that is called Fuenterrabía. I feel that the "rrabía" bit could have an Arabic origin. It's as if the name is a repetition of a word that could have the same meaning in two languages. Fuente (Spanish for "fountain" and "rrabía", which is Arabic for "spring"). I would like to know your opinion about this.