How to say "captain (of a ship)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningcaptain (of a ship)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
قُبْطَان
qubṭānקבטאן
قبطان
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
קפטן
kaptanكَاپْتَان
How the two words are related
Loanword
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Neither language owns this one: Arabic qubṭān and Hebrew קפטן both come from the same European seafaring word (Italian capitano, ultimately Latin caput 'head') — parallel modern loans, not a Semitic root, much like jītār/גיטרה.
Related Hebrew word:קפטןkaptanكَاپْتَان
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In a phrase
قُبْطَان السَّفِينَة
qubṭān as-safīnaקבטאן א-ספינהthe ship's captain
Plural
قَبَاطِنَة
qabāṭinaקבאטנהbroken plural — an irregular pattern typical of older loanwords