How to say "planet" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningplanet
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
كَوْكَب
kawkabכוכב
كوكب
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
כוכב לכת
kokhav lekhetكُوخَاڤ لِخِت
How the two words are related
Shifted meaning
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ك-و-ك-بHebrew root
כ-ו-כ-בKawkab and kokhav come from the same reduplicated Semitic root — one of the few four-consonant nouns in this vocabulary. Arabic narrowed kawkab to mean 'planet' specifically, while Hebrew kept kokhav for 'star'; when Hebrew needs 'planet' it says kokhav lekhet, literally 'a wandering star.'
Related Hebrew word:כוכבkokhavكُوخَاڤ
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In a phrase
كَوْكَب بَعِيد
kawkab baʿīdכוכב בעידa distant planet
Plural
كَوَاكِب
kawākibכואכבbroken plural CaCāCiC — four-consonant nouns take this shape, like عَقْرَب→عَقَارِب