How to say "hyena" in Arabic
CognateMeaninghyena
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
ضَبُع
ḍabuʿצ'בוע
ضبع
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
צָבוֹעַ
tsavo'aتْسَاڤُوءَا
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ض-ب-عHebrew root
צ-ב-עḌabuʿ is tsavoaʿ letter for letter — ض regularly answers to צ, the same pair as arḍ/eretz (earth). A textbook Semitic match hiding in an unglamorous animal.
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In a phrase
ضَبُع فِي الصَّحْرَاء
ḍabuʿ fī ṣ-ṣaḥrāʾצ'בוע פי א-צחראאa hyena in the desert
Plural
ضِبَاع
ḍibāʿצ'באעbroken plural CiCāC