How to say "fool, dimwit (Arabic and Israeli slang)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningfool, dimwit (Arabic and Israeli slang)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
أَهْبَل
ahbalאהבל
أهبل
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
אהבל
ahbalأَهْبَال
How the two words are related
Loanword
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
ه-ب-لFrom h-b-l, 'to be feeble-minded', on the aCCaC pattern Arabic uses for defects. Hebrew borrowed the insult intact. It sounds like Biblical הבל, 'vapor, futility' (הבל הבלים), but the roots are probably unrelated — a happy pun rather than an established cognate.
Learn it
In a phrase
لَا تَكُن أَهْبَل
lā takun ahbalלא תכן אהבלdon't be a fool
Feminine
هَبْلَاء
hablāʾהבלאאMore in Arabic You Already Speak
- five (Arabic) → the hand-shaped amulet (Israeli usage)khamsaخَمْسَةחמסה
- failure (Arabic) → screw-up, botch (Israeli slang)fashalفَشَلפשלה
- broke, penniless (colloquial Arabic and Israeli slang)ṭafrānطَفْرَانתפרן
- bad luck, ill omen (Arabic) → rotten luck, a jinx (Israeli slang)naḥsنَحْسנאחס
- market stall, spread-out display (Arabic → Israeli Hebrew: shuk stall)basṭaبَسْطَةבסטה
- original, genuine (Arabic) → authentic, the real deal (Israeli slang)aṣlīأَصْلِيאסלי
All Arabic You Already Speak words Explore all root families