How to say "sacrifice, offering" in Arabic
CognateMeaningsacrifice, offering
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
qurbānקרבאן
قربان
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
korbanكُورْبَان
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ق-ر-بHebrew root
ק-ר-בקרבן and qurbān are the same word, same CuCCān pattern, same idea: a sacrifice is what is brought near (root q-r-b, 'nearness') — an offering closes the distance between worshipper and God.
Related Hebrew word:קרבןkorbanكُورْبَان
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In a phrase
he offered a sacrifice
Plural
broken plural CaCāCīC
The root family
ق-ر-بק-ר-ב· nearness
קרוב and qarīb both mean "near" AND "a relative" — the double meaning survives intact in both languages. The sacrifices match too: קרבן and qurbān are both the offering you bring near. And taqrīban "approximately" preserves a fossilized tanwin — one of the few places you still hear Classical Arabic's old -an ending in everyday speech.
- قَرِيب qarībnear; a relativeקָרוֹבnear; a relative — both senses shared
- تَقْرِيبًا taqrībanapproximately, almost
- قَرَّبَ qarrabahe brought nearקֵרֵבhe brought near
- قُرْبَان qurbānoffering, sacrificeקָרְבָּןsacrifice — what is brought near
- قَرَابَة qarābakinshipקִרְבָהcloseness, kinship