Abd (Arabic)
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Abd (Arabic: عبد) is an Arabic word meaning one who is totally subordinated; a slave or a servant. [1][2][3] The word can also be transliterated into English as 'Abd, where the apostrophe indicates the ayin, denoting a voiced pharyngeal fricative consonant or some reflex of it. In Western ears, it may be perceived as a guttural 'a' sound.
It appears in many common Arab names followed by Al (the) in form of "Abd ul", "Abd ul-", etc.; this is also commonly translitated as "el-," in the form "Abd el-", meaning "servant of the-". This is always followed by one of the names for God. These names are given in List of Arabic theophoric names and 99 Names of God.
A widespread name Abdullah (name) (or 'Abd Allah) means "servant of God" or "worshipper of God".
- Abd Rabbuh (“slave of his Lord” or “servant of his Lord”)
- Abduh (“His slave” or “His servant”)
- Abdul Nabi (“slave of the Prophet” or “servant of the Prophet”)
It can also be used by Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Christians, just as long as it is associated to their religion:
- Abdul Masih (“slave of the Messiah” or “servant of the Messiah”)
- Abdul Salib (“slave of the Cross” or “servant of the Cross”)
- Abdul Shahid (“slave of the Martyr [i.e. Jesus Christ]” or “servant of the Martyr”)
- Abd Yasu ("slave of Jesus" or "servant of Jesus")
- Abida
- Abidi
Abdullah can be also used by Arab Christians, as they refer to God as Allah.
Further notes [edit]
Abid (Arabic: عابد ) is a given name meaning "worshipper". It is based on the Arabic word "Ibadah", i.e. worship. The female version of the name is Abida.
The word Abd is a cognate with the Hebrew word "eved" (עבד), meaning slave.
