rb, rbˀ
(raḇ, rabbā)
n.m.
chief; teacher
| In Syriac the plural form varies with the meaning: "chief, noble one," etc. follows the adjectival, reduplicative patterns with or without final -ān (see s.v. rb adj., while "teacher" uses ܪ̈ܲܒܿܵܢܸܐ ; JBA pl. רבי, רבוותא; many compounds keep the singular form rb even in the plural of the compound, e.g. ܪܒܥܠܢ̈ܐ "chief shepherd"; LJLA uses both רברבין and רברבנין as the plural for "noble". In Gal. forms with doubled /b/ display a vowel shift /a/>/e/, hence rebbī "rabbi", etc. Compare rbwn. The multiplicity of plural forms in Mandaic currently defies analysis! |
