§ 7 أبأ

أبأ 'B' [√’b] to be thick and dark. BC: غب. Also related to cognates meaning: to cover, hide, ignore, and forgive. BC: أو; خب, خف, خم; غف, غم, عم.

(1) أَبَأَ ’aba’a as in أَبَأَهُ بالسَّهمِ to throw dart or shoot an arrow رَماه  L,

It may be a denominative of the أباءة, compare: رُمْح rumħ spear, رَمَحَ ramaĦa to spear, or سَهْم sahm arrow, سُهِمَ suhima to shoot an arrow. But in the case of أَبَأَ, it is not used without السَّهم, so it seems that أَبَأَ means purely to throw or shoot and may be related to an independent root family; cf. حَفَأَ Ħafa’a, حَفَضَ Ħafaża.

(2) أَبَاءَةٌ ’abā’a^h, pl. أَباءٌ ’abā’ canebrake أَجَمَةُ الحلفاءِ و القَصَبِ خاصّةً L; cane, reed قَصَبة;

أَبَاءٌ ’abā’ cane(s), reed(s) قَصَب; also أَبايَة T. cf. غابة canebrake أَجَمَةُ القَصَب;

Heb. אֵבֶה ’ebεh reed, papyrus, Klein CEH 1; Perh. אִבָּא ’ibā’ [cf. אֵב, < אבב] 1. thicket, woods, grove; 2. fruit; also אִיבָּא ’iybā’;

For usage of "thicket" for the reeds, cf. חוֹרֶשׁ thicket .: and it grew to a large thicket of reeds, Jastrow DTT 2.

OBab. apu (abu) [mu.gi GIŠ.GI: a-pu] reed thicket, canebrake; also apūtu [Ú a-pú-tum] a plant (?), Köcher Pflanzenkunde 2i53; Gelb CAD 1:199f,205; Black CDA 21.

Sum. giruš [𒄀.𒊒.𒍑 GI.RU.UŠ: gi-ru-uš] a reed; composed of: 𒄀 GI:gi reed, cane, cf. קָנֶה; 𒍑 UŠ:uš foundation, cf. أسّ, PSD.

Egy. perh. ĥp-t ,  a kind of plant, papyrus (?), Budge EHD 41; ip.t (medical usage) [offizinell vervendet], Erman WAS 1:68.

Also cf. Syr. ܐܶܒܳܐ to produce of the earth, esp. fruit, > ܐܰܒܽܘܒܳܐ  a reed, flute; cf. أنبوبة, Payne Smith CSD 2. u نبّ

Besides أبأ, we may propose root أبی (cf. Heb. אבה) from أباءة and أباية, which may have following cognates: غبی γabā (cf. Heb. עבה), غبأ γaba’a (cf. Heb. עבי), غابَ (غيب) γāba (cf. Heb. עוה). Also cf:

BHeb. עָב m., עָבָה f. adj. [√עָבַב] thick, dense, large; עָבַב to be thick, dark, Jastrow DTT 1034. Heb. עָב adj. thick [√עבה, cf. עָבֶה], עָב n. thicket [√עבה], עבה to be thick, Klein CEH 461.

Syr. ܥܒܳܝܳܐ ‛abāyā’ [√ܥܒܐ] thickness; a swelling, tumor; the solid part; ܥܒܳܝܳܐܝܬ ‛abāyā’yat [√ܥܒܐ] adv. stupidly, in bungling fashion, Payne Smith CSD 398.

For the meanings of to cover, hide, ignore and forgive cf. خفی Ĥafā, خبأ Ĥaba’a, خبع Ĥaba‛a, خبن Ĥabana, خمر Ĥamara; غفر γafara, غفل γafala, غلف γalafa, غمد γamada, غمت γamata, غمن γamana, غمل γamala, غمّ γamma, عمی ‛amā; also perh. كُفَّ kuffa, كفر kafara.

Ass. abu [a-bu] reed, bulrushes; sometimes is read "apu"; perh. whence > آب, Muss-Arnolt CDA 4.

(3) أَبَاءٌ ’abā’ cane(s), reed(s) قَصَب L,

In the classical Arabic lexicons, أَبَاءٌ is followed by this explanation: and having evil water و ماؤُه شرّ المياه T. It seems that, if the proposed root أبی is not derived from an independent root family, e.g. عفن ‛afana, it is a figurative deduction from the stagnant water of the canebrake.