How to say "reason, cause" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningreason, cause
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
سَبَب
sababסבב
سبب
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
סיבה
sibaسِيبَا
How the two words are related
Shifted meaning
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
س-ب-بHebrew root
ס-ב-בסיבה and سبب look and sound alike for a reason, root ס-ב-ב/س-ب-ب, even if their oldest images differ: Hebrew's root is about turning, going around (סָבִיב, "around"), while Arabic's oldest sense for سبب is a rope — something that ties you to what you're after. Different pictures, same destination: the thing connecting cause to effect. "מה הסיבה?" and "ما السبب؟" ask the identical question.
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In a phrase
مَا السَّبَب؟
mā as-sabab?מא א-סבבWhat's the reason?
Plural
أَسْبَاب
asbābאסבאבbroken plural aCCāC — like وَلَد→أَوْلَاد