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Aba in Scrabble and Meaning

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Is aba a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word aba is a Scrabble US word. The word aba is worth 5 points in Scrabble:

A1B3A1

Is aba a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word aba is a Scrabble UK word and has 5 points:

A1B3A1

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Yes. The word aba is a Words With Friends word. The word aba is worth 6 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

A1B4A1

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Valid words made from Aba

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3-letter words (2 found)

ABA,BAA,

2-letter words (3 found)

AA,AB,BA,

You can make 5 words from aba according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of aba

aba

Translingual

Symbol

aba

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Abé.

See also

  • Wiktionary’s coverage of Abé terms

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa). Compare abaya.

Alternative forms

  • abba

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbɑː/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /əˈbɑ/
  • Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -ɑː, (General American) -ɑ

Noun

aba (countable and uncountable, plural abas)

  1. A coarse, often striped, felted fabric from the Middle East, woven from goat or camel hair.
  2. A loose-fitting sleeveless garment, made from aba or silk, worn by Arabs. [First attested in the early 19th century.]
  3. An outer garment made of the above, very simple in form, worn by the Arabs of the desert. The illustration shows such an aba, made of two breadths of stuff sewed together to make an oblong about four by nine feet.
  4. Such a garment that is specific to women.
    Holonym: hijab
    Coordinate terms: burka, chador, chadri, niqab
Synonyms
  • (all senses): abaya
Translations

Etymology 2

  • From the name of its creator, the French explorer A. T. d' Abbadie.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈæ.bə/
  • Rhymes: -æbə

Noun

aba (plural abas)

  1. An altazimuth used for astronomy on either land or water.

Etymology 3

Noun

aba (plural abas)

  1. An electric fish of species Gymnarchus niloticus (frankfish, freshwater rat-tail, African knifefish), found in swamps, lakes and rivers in Africa.
Translations

References

Further reading

  • Aba in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
  • Century Dictionary, volume 1, 1889, page 3

Anagrams

  • AAB, BAA, baa

Akan

Pronunciation

  • Tone: LH

Noun

aba (plural aba)

  1. seed(s)
  2. fruit

Derived terms

  • wawa aba

References

Albanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عبا (abâ) (Turkish aba), from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [aˈba]

Noun

aba f (plural aba, definite abaja, definite plural abat)

  1. (old) thin felt (usually white or gray)

Further reading

  • FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎[4], 1980

Apatani

Etymology

Probably cognate with Tibetan ཨ་ཕ (a pha), Garo apa.

Noun

aba

  1. father

References

  • P. T. Abraham, Apatani-English-Hindi Dictionary (1987)

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑˈbɑ/
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *apa (“father”).

Noun

aba (definite accusative abanı, plural abalar)

  1. (Gadabay, Quba, Ordubad, Zangilan) father
    Synonym: ata

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Common Turkic *apa (“mother, elder sister, aunt”).

Noun

aba (definite accusative abanı, plural abalar)

  1. (Jabrayil, Qakh, Shamkir, Tabriz) mother
    Synonym: ana
  2. (dialectal) elder sister
  3. (dialectal) elder sister-in-law
Declension

Etymology 3

Derived from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa).

Noun

aba (definite accusative abanı, plural abalar)

  1. aba
Declension

References

  • Axundov A. A., Kazımov Q. Ş., Behbudov S. M., editors (2007), “aba I”, in Azərbaycan dilinin dialektoloji lüğəti [Dialectological Dictionary of the Azerbaijani Language] (in Azerbaijani), Baku: Şərq-Qərb, →ISBN, page 11a
  • Axundov A. A., Kazımov Q. Ş., Behbudov S. M., editors (2007), “aba II”, in Azərbaycan dilinin dialektoloji lüğəti [Dialectological Dictionary of the Azerbaijani Language] (in Azerbaijani), Baku: Şərq-Qərb, →ISBN, page 11a
  • Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*apa-”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill
  • Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*appa-”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill

Basque

Etymology

Coined by Basque nationalist, writer and politician Sabino Arana in the 19th century, from a misinterpretation of the kinship suffix -ba.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aba/ [a.β̞a]
  • Rhymes: -aba, -a
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Noun

aba anim

  1. (rare) father
    Synonym: aita

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

  • “aba”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Chibcha

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaba/

Noun

aba

  1. maize
  2. corncob
  3. maize crop

References

  • Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.

Corsican

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaba/

Noun

aba f (plural abe)

  1. alternative form of apa

References

  • https://infcor.adecec.net/

Dení

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Arawa *aba-.

Noun

aba f

  1. fish

References

  • “aba” in Gordon Koop, Lois Koop, Dicionário deni-português, Associação Internacional de Lingüística - SIL Brasil, 1985.

Dongxiang

Pronunciation 1

  • IPA(key): /ɑˈpɑ/

Noun

aba

  1. father

Pronunciation 2

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑpɑ/

Noun

aba

  1. paternal uncle (father's younger brother)

Dupaningan Agta

Noun

aba

  1. taro

Ewe

Noun

àbà (plural abawo)

  1. mat
  2. bed

References

  • Fiagã, Kwasi (1976) Grammaire eʋe: Eʋegbe ŋutinunya‎[5] (in French), Lomé: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, page 101
  • Jim-Fugar, Dr. M.K.N., Jim-Fugar, Nicholine (2017) “aba”, in Nuseline's Ewe-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Togo: Independently published, →ISBN, page 6

Galician

Etymology

Uncertain. Cognate with Portuguese aba, Spanish álabe, French aube, Romanian aripă.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaba/ [ˈa.β̞ɐ]
  • Rhymes: -aba
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Noun

aba f (plural abas)

  1. slope, hillside
    Synonyms: faldra, pé
  2. apron, smock; folds of a shirt or dress
    Synonym: faldra
  3. (anatomy) lap
    Synonym: colo
  4. brim of a hat
  5. rim
    Synonym: bordo

Derived terms

References

  • Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “aba”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
  • “aba”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
  • Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “aba”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
  • Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “aba”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Gothic

Romanization

aba

  1. romanization of 𐌰𐌱𐌰

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French à bas.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aba/

Interjection

aba

  1. down with...!

References

  • Albert Valdman, Iskra Iskrova, editors, compiled by Albert Valdman (2007), Haitian Creole-English Bilingual Dictionary‎[6], Bloomington: Indiana University Creole Institute, →ISBN, page 1

Hanunoo

Etymology 1

From Greater Central Philippine *habaʔ (“long (object)”). Compare Ilocano akaba, Kapampangan kaba / aba, Tagalog haba, Bikol Central laba, Aklanon haba, Hiligaynon laba, and Tausug haba'.

Alternative forms

  • aba'

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʔaba/ [ˈʔa.ba], /ˈʔabaʔ/ [ˈʔa.bɐʔ]
  • Rhymes: -aba, -abaʔ
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Noun

aba or abà (Hanunoo spelling ᜠᜪ)

  1. length (distance along the longest dimension)
Derived terms

Adjective

aba or abà (plural araba, Hanunoo spelling ᜠᜪ)

  1. long (having much distance from one point to another)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *abá. Compare Tagalog aba.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔaˈba/ [ʔaˈba]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Interjection

abá (Hanunoo spelling ᜠᜪ)

  1. an exclamation of surprise, admiration, wonder
    Synonym: aba-aba
Usage notes
  • The word aba-aba is more used.
Derived terms
See also

Further reading

  • Conklin, Harold C. (1953) Hanunóo-English Vocabulary (University of California Publications in Linguistics), volume 9, London, England: University of California Press, →OCLC, page 17

Hiligaynon

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *abá.

Interjection

abá

  1. alas, gosh, well, whew
  2. wow

Interjection

abâ

  1. (questioning) really
  2. (questioning) ah, oh

Etymology 2

Noun

abá

  1. (anatomy) shoulder blade

Verb

abá

  1. to carry on one's back

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عبا (abâ, “aba, a stout woollen cloth; a cloak or jacket made of this cloth”) (compare Bulgarian аба́ (abá), Romanian aba, Serbo-Croatian aba / аба), from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa, “cloak, frock”). First attested in 1556.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈɒbɒ]
  • Hyphenation: aba
  • Rhymes: -bɒ
  • Homophone: Aba

Noun

aba (plural abák)

  1. (archaic or dialectal) a thick, coarse, fulled cloth, typically woven from the wool of sheep or goats, usually undyed and of lower quality
    Synonym: abaposztó
    Hypernym: posztó
    Coordinate term: szűrposztó
  2. (archaic or dialectal) an (upper) garment made of this cloth
    Synonym: abaposztó

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

  • aba in Ferenc Pusztai, editor, Magyar értelmező kéziszótár [A Concise Explanatory Dictionary of Hungarian] (ÉKsz.2), 2nd, expanded and revised edition, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2003 (online searchable version under development).
  • aba in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Iban

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /abaʔ/
  • Rhymes: -abaʔ
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayic *aba, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aba, from Proto-Austronesian *aba.

Noun

aba

  1. father
    Aba aku ― My father

Etymology 2

Noun

aba

  1. smell

Etymology 3

Preposition

aba

  1. with; and
    Jaba aba Jalir ― Jaba and Jalir
  2. at; in
    Aba bilik iya ― He's in the room

Indonesian

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈaba/ [ˈa.ba]
  • Rhymes: -aba
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay aba, from Proto-Malayic *aba, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aba, from Proto-Austronesian *aba.

Alternative forms

  • abah

Noun

aba

  1. synonym of ayah (“father”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Javanese ꦲꦧ (aba, “sign, sound; order, command; to order, command; spoken word; to say, to speak”).

Noun

aba

  1. signals in the form of knocking sounds on walls and so on which are usually heard before the death of a family member
Related terms

Further reading

  • “aba” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Noun

aba

  1. only used in ar aba

Noun

aba m sg

  1. genitive singular of ab

Mutation

Further reading

  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “aba”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
  • de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “aba”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm

Jamamadí

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Arawa *aba-.

Noun

aba

  1. (Banawá) fish

References

  • 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Japanese

Romanization

aba

  1. Rōmaji transcription of あば

Javanese

Romanization

aba

  1. romanization of ꦲꦧ

Kankanaey

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʔaba/ [ˈʔaː.bʌ] (“banana skin”)
    • Rhymes: -aba
  • IPA(key): /ʔaˈba/ [ʔʌˈba] (“act of carrying on the back”)
    • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Noun

ába

  1. banana skin
  2. taro
  3. honey

Derived terms

Noun

abá

  1. act of carrying on the back, usually a child with a carrying blanket (eban)

Derived terms

References

  • Morice Vanoverbergh (1933) “aba”, in A Dictionary of Lepanto Igorot or Kankanay. As it is spoken at Bauco (Linguistische Anthropos-Bibliothek; XII)‎[7], Mödling bei Wien, St. Gabriel, Österreich: Verlag der Internationalen Zeitschrift „Anthropos“, →OCLC, page 1
  • Allen, Larry (2021) “abá”, in Kankanaey – English Dictionary, Summer Institute of Linguistics
  • Wallace, Judy (2018) “aba”, in Northern Kankanay – English Dictionary, Summer Institute of Linguistics

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German ebbe (“tide”). Compare English ebb and Dutch eb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.ba/
  • Rhymes: -aba
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Noun

aba f

  1. (regional, Hel Peninsula) ebb, the receding movement of the tide
  2. (regional, Hel Peninsula) ebb tide
  3. (regional, Hel Peninsula) tide, any periodic change in sea level

Derived terms

References

Further reading

  • Sychta, Bernard (1967) “aba”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich [Dictionary of Kashubian dialects] (in Polish), volumes 1 (A – Ǵ), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 1
  • Jan Trepczyk (1994) “fala”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
  • Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “fala”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎[8]

Latgalian

Etymology

Cognate with Latvian aba and Lithuanian aba.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈaba]
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Conjunction

aba

  1. (archaic) or

References

  • Nicole Nau (2011) A short grammar of Latgalian, München: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 74

Latvian

Adverb

aba

  1. (archaic) just
  2. (archaic) just now

Synonyms

  • nupat
  • tikko
  • patlaban

Conjunction

aba

  1. (archaic) or

Synonyms

  • vai

Adjective

aba

  1. (archaic) both

Synonyms

  • abi

Noun

aba m (4th declension, irregular gender, dative singular)

  1. (Christianity, Judaism) Father; religious superior; in the Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic churches, a title given to the bishops, and by the bishops to the patriarch; a title given to Jewish scholars in the Talmudic period.

Declension

Synonyms

  • abba

Lithuanian

Etymology

Cognate with Latvian and Latgalian aba, as well as modern Lithuanian arba.

Conjunction

aba

  1. or (archaic)

Lokono

Numeral

aba

  1. (Western Lokono) one.

Synonyms

  • ábą

Malagasy

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aba, from Proto-Austronesian *aba.

Noun

aba

  1. (dialectal) father

Further reading

  • aba in Malagasy dictionaries at malagasyword.org

Malay

Pronunciation

  • (Etymology 1, 2, and 5)
    • (Baku, Johor-Riau) IPA(key): [a.ba]
  • (Etymology 3)
    • (Johor-Riau) IPA(key): [a.bə]
    • (Baku) IPA(key): [a.ba]
  • Rhymes: -abə, -aba
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba
  • (Etymology 4)
    • (Johor-Riau) IPA(key): [a.bə da.bə]
    • (Baku) IPA(key): [a.ba da.ba]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayic *aba, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *aba, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *aba, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aba, from Proto-Austronesian *aba.

Noun

aba (Jawi spelling اب)

  1. alternative form of abah
Descendants
  • Indonesian: aba

Etymology 2

From Arabic أَب (ʔab).

Noun

aba (Jawi spelling اب)

  1. A father (male parent).

Etymology 3

Clipping of haba.

Noun

aba (Jawi spelling اب)

  1. alternative form of haba

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

aba-daba (Jawi spelling اب-داب)

  1. A germ.

Etymology 5

Borrowed from Indonesian aba, from Javanese ꦲꦧ (aba).

Interjection

aba (Jawi spelling اب, also used in the form aba-aba)

  1. (Indonesia) Command words used in military exercises.

Further reading

  • “aba” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mansaka

Etymology

Akin to Tagalog haba.

Adjective

aba

  1. long

Marshallese

Etymology

Borrowed from English harbor.

Pronunciation

  • (phonetic) IPA(key): [ɑbˠɑ]
  • (phonemic) IPA(key): /ɰæpˠæɰ/
  • Bender phonemes: {habah}

Noun

aba

  1. a harbor.
  2. an anchorage.
  3. a port.

Further reading

  • Marshallese–English Online Dictionary

Mezquital Otomi

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish haba (“bean; bump, nodule; equine palatitis”), from Latin faba (“bean”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ǎβa/

Noun

ǎba

  1. equine palatitis

Synonyms

  • ndodi

References

  • Hernández Cruz, Luis, Victoria Torquemada, Moisés (2010) Diccionario del hñähñu (otomí) del Valle del Mezquital, estado de Hidalgo (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 45)‎[9] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

Middle Irish

Noun

aba

  1. genitive singular of ab

Mutation

Old Tupi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *rap, from Proto-Mawé-Guaraní *t͡sap, from Proto-Tupian *jap.

Cognate with Sateré-Mawé sap, Guaraní ague.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.β̞a/
  • Rhymes: -aβa
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Noun

aba (possessable, IIa class pluriform, absolute taba, R1 raba, R2 saba)

  1. body hair
  2. fur (hairy coat of various mammal species)
  3. contour feather; plumage
  4. wool
  5. woolen fabric

Usage notes

  • When talking about birds, aba referred only to the body feathers; the flight feathers were called pepó.

Derived terms

References

Further reading

  • Antônio Lemos Barbosa (1956) Curso de tupi antigo: gramática, exercícios, textos [Course of Old Tupi: Grammar, Exercises, Texts]‎[10] (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Livraria São José
  • Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “aba”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 5, columns 1–2

Pangasinan

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: a‧ba
  • IPA(key): /aˈba/, [aˈba]
  • Rhymes: -a

Noun

abá

  1. taro

Related terms

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Latin alapa (“slap, smack”). Cognate with Galician aba.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -abɐ
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Noun

aba f (plural abas)

  1. brim (of a hat)
  2. flap (hinged leaf of furniture)
  3. bank (of a river)
    Synonym: margem
  4. (computing) tab (navigational widget in a GUI)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

aba

  1. inflection of abar:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

  • “aba” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
  • “aba”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aˈba/
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Hyphenation: a‧bá

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عبا (abâ) (Turkish aba), from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa).

Noun

aba f (plural abale)

  1. (uncountable) thick woolen baize (usually white), from which country clothing is often made
    Synonyms: dimie, pănură
  2. (countable) a garment made of the above
Declension

See also

  • țesătură

Etymology 2

Interjection

aba

  1. expresses wonder or draws attention to something

Further reading

  • “aba”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

Salar

Etymology

Borrowed from Amdo Tibetan ཨ་ཕ (a pha, “father”).

Pronunciation

  • (Xunhua, Qinghai, Ili, Yining, Xinjiang) IPA(key): /ɑbɑ/

Noun

aba

  1. father

References

  • Potanin, G.N. (1893) “aba”, in Тангутско-Тибетская окраина Китая и Центральная Монголия (in Russian)
  • Yanchuk, Mikola Andriyovich (1893) Этнографическое ОбозрѢніе: Императорскаго Общества Любителей Естествознанія, Антропологіи и Этнографіи [Ethnographical Review: Imperial Society of Lovers of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography]‎[11] (in Russian), Moscow: Publication of the Ethnographic Department, page 32
  • Rockhill, William Woodville (1894) Diary of a journey through Mongolia and Tibet in 1891 and 1892, Washington: Smithsonian Institution, page 374
  • Kakuk, S. (1962) “aba”, in “Un Vocabulaire Salar”, in Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae‎[12], volume 14, number 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, →ISBN, pages 173-196
  • Tenishev, Edhem (1976) “aba”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká [Grammar of Salar], Moscow, page 279
  • 林莲云 [Lin Lianyun] (1985) “aba”, in 撒拉语简志 [A Brief History of Salar]‎[13], Beijing: 民族出版社: 琴書店, →OCLC, page 126
  • Yakup, Abdurishid (2002) “aba”, in An Ili Salar Vocabulary: Introduction and a Provisional Salar-English Lexicon‎[14], Tokyo: University of Tokyo, →ISBN, page 31
  • Dwyer, Arienne M. (2007) “aba”, in Salar: A Study in Inner Asian Language Contact Processes: Part I: Phonology‎[15], 1st edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 108
  • Ma, Chengjun, Han, Lianye, Ma, Weisheng (December 2010) “aba”, in 米娜瓦尔 艾比布拉 (Minavar Abibra), editor, 撒维汉词典 (Sāwéihàncídiǎn) [Salar-Uyghur-Chinese dictionary] (in Chinese), 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN, page 1
  • 马伟 [Ma Wei], 朝克 [Chao Ke] (2014) “aba”, in 撒拉语366条会话读本 [Salar 366 Conversation Reader]‎[16], 1st edition, 社会科学文献出版社 [Social Science Literature Press], →ISBN, page 109

Sardinian

Etymology 1

From Latin ava, feminine of avus.

Noun

aba f (plural abas)

  1. grandmother

Etymology 2

From Latin ala.

Alternative forms

  • ala

Noun

aba f (plural abas)

  1. wing

Sassarese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈab(b)a/

Noun

aba f (plural abi)

  1. alternative form of abi (“bee”)

References

  • Ugo Solinas (2016) “àbi”, in Vocabolario sassarese-italiano fraseologico ed etimologico, volume 1, Sestu: Domus de Janas, →ISBN, page 20
  • Giosue Muzzo (1981) “àba”, in Vocabolario del dialetto sassarese, Chiarella Editore, →ISBN; republished, Sassari: Carlo Delfino editore, 2018, page 25

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

  • ab

Etymology

From Old Irish abb, from Latin abbās, from Ancient Greek ἀββᾶς (abbâs), from Aramaic אבא (’abbā, “father”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈapə/
  • Hyphenation: a‧ba

Noun

aba m (genitive singular aba, plural abachan)

  1. abbot

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

  • abaid

Mutation

Further reading

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) “aba”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎[17], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • MacLennan, Malcolm (1925) A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Edinburgh: J. Grant, →OCLC
  • Colin Mark (2003) “aba”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 5

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عبا (abâ) (Turkish aba), from Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa).

Noun

aba f (Cyrillic spelling аба)

  1. (regional) aba

Further reading

  • “aba”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Slovak

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈaba]

Noun

aba f (genitive singular aby, declension pattern of žena)

  1. aba, abaya
    Synonym: abája

References

  • “aba”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gàba.

Verb

-aba

  1. to divide, to distribute

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Etymology

Either inherited from Latin apage (“go away”), from Ancient Greek άπαγε (ápage), or alternatively borrowed from Arabic اِبْعَد (ibʕad, dialectally also abʕad), imperative of بَعِدَ (baʕida, “to go away”). As both words have the same meaning and could both easily have yielded Spanish aba, it is hardly possible to decide.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaba/ [ˈa.β̞a]
  • Rhymes: -aba
  • Syllabification: a‧ba
  • Homophone: haba

Interjection

¡aba!

  1. caution!, watch out!

References

Further reading

  • “aba”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sumerian

Romanization

aba

  1. romanization of 𒀊 (aba)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gàba.

Verb

-ába

  1. (transitive) to share
  2. (transitive) to distribute

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈbaʔ/ [ʔɐˈbaʔ]
  • Rhymes: -aʔ
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Adjective

abâ (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜊ)

  1. poor, indigent
    Synonyms: dukha, maralita, hirap, mahirap
  2. humble; ordinary
    Synonyms: karaniwan, pangkaraniwan
  3. oppressed, abused
    Synonyms: api, inapi, api-apihan
  4. unfortunate
    Synonym: kaawa-awa
  5. mean, despicable
    Synonym: hamak
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *abá.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈba/ [ʔɐˈba]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Interjection

abá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜊ)

  1. an exclamation of surprise, wonder, or admiration; wow
    Synonyms: naku, (Rizal) adyaw
Alternative forms
  • ba

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Spanish ave, from Latin avē (“hello, hail”). The senses “calling of attention” could possibly be borrowed from Spanish aba (“watch out”), either from Latin apage (“go away”), from Ancient Greek άπαγε (ápage), or from Arabic اِبْعَد.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈba/ [ʔɐˈba]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧ba

Interjection

abá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜊ)

  1. hail!
Derived terms
  • Aba Ginoong Maria

Noun

abá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜊ)

  1. act of greeting or calling the attention of someone
    Synonyms: bati, pagbati
  2. reminder or call of attention for someone about something
    Synonyms: banggit, ino, pagbanggit, pag-ino
Derived terms

Further reading

  • “aba”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*abá”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
  • Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972) Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 1

Anagrams

  • aab

Tatar

Noun

aba

  1. Latin spelling of аба (aba)

Ternate

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈa.ba]

Noun

aba

  1. father
    Synonym: baba

References

  • Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Turkish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑbɑ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *apa (“mother, elder sister, aunt”).

Noun

aba (definite accusative abayı, plural abalar)

  1. (dialectal) elder sister
  2. (dialectal) mother

Etymology 2

From Arabic عَبَاءَة (ʕabāʔa).

Noun

aba (definite accusative abayı, plural abalar)

  1. felt (a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres)
Derived terms
  • aba güreşi

Etymology 3

From Ottoman Turkish آبا (aba), from Arabic آباء (ʔābāʔ).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑːbɑː/

Noun

aba

  1. (archaic) fathers
  2. (archaic) ancestors, forefathers
  3. (archaic) Christian monks
Declension

Etymology 4

Noun

aba

  1. dative singular of ab

Further reading

  • “aba”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu

Venetan

Noun

aba f (plural abe) (Belluno)

  1. alternative form of acua

References

  • “aba”, in el Galepin – www.elgalepin.com

Weyewa

Noun

aba

  1. (Loli) fat
  2. (Loli) mouth

References

  • Lobu Ori, S,Pd, M.Pd (2010) “aba”, in Kamus Bahasa Lolina [Dictionary of the Loli Language] (in Indonesian), Waikabubak: Kepala Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kabupaten Sumba Barat

Wutunhua

Etymology

From Mandarin 阿爸 (ābà).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [apa]

Noun

aba

  1. father
    Synonym: ha
    Coordinate terms: ana, ma

References

  • Erika Sandman (2016) A Grammar of Wutun‎[18], University of Helsinki (PhD), →ISBN

Xhosa

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *-gàba.

Verb

-aba

  1. (transitive) to share
  2. (transitive) to distribute
Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [âːɓa]

Pronoun

âba

  1. these; class 2 proximal demonstrative.

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.bá/

Noun

àbá

  1. idea, suggestion

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ā.bà/

Noun

abà

  1. barn, village
    Synonym: ahéré
    Synonym: abúlé

Etymology 3

From à- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ ba (“to brood, to incubate”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.bā/

Noun

àba

  1. incubation

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ā.bá/

Noun

abá

  1. type of mat
    Synonym: ẹní

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.bá/

Noun

àbá

  1. (Ekiti) father
    Synonyms: bàbá, aba
    Antonyms: iye, eye
  2. (Ekiti) a term of familiarity or respect for an older man or male relative
    Synonyms: bàbá, aba
Derived terms

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔaba/

Noun

aba

  1. father
  2. paternal uncle (among the wegi clan); maternal uncle (sometimes)

Usage notes

  • Sense 2 refers to blood relations only
  • Most often used as a form of address, rather than a noun proper.

See also

  • kisir

References

  • Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad

Zazaki

Noun

aba

  1. felt (a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres)

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gàba.

Verb

-aba

  1. (transitive) to divide, to apportion, to distribute
  2. (transitive) to share

Inflection

Derived terms

  • -abela (applicative)
  • -abisa (causative)
  • -abisisa (intensive)
  • -abeka (neuter-passive)
  • -abiwa (passive)
  • -abana (reciprocal)
  • umabi
  • umabo

References

  • C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “aɓa”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “aɓa (6.3)”

Source: wiktionary.org