Learn Arabic › A2 › شَبّ
شَبّ
alum /ˈʃabb/
nounA2#1284 most common
Also: potassium alum, styptic (astringent salt), alum stone
Example sentences
هٰذَا شَبّ.
This is alum.
أَشْتَري الشَّبّ مِن السّوق.
I buy alum from the market.
يَستَخدِم أَبي الشَّبّ بَعدَ الحِلاقة.
My father uses alum after shaving.
يُوضَع قَليلٌ مِن الشَّبّ في الماء لِتَنقيَتِه.
A little alum is put in the water to purify it.
كانَت جَدَّتي تَحرِقُ الشَّبَّ لِطَردِ العَينِ والحَسَد.
My grandmother used to burn alum to ward off the evil eye and envy.
يُعَدّ الشَّبّ مادّةً قابِضةً تُوقِفُ النَّزيفَ وتُستَخدَمُ في دَبْغِ الجُلود.
Alum is considered an astringent substance that stops bleeding and is used in tanning leather.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | شَبٌّ (shabbun) | none |
| Genitive | شَبٍّ (shabbin) | none |
| Accusative | شَبًّا (shabban) | none |
| Vocative | يا شَبُّ (yā shabbu) | none |
Word family
شَابّyoung man, youth
شَبَابyouth, young people
شَبيبةyouthfulness, the young
شَبَّto grow up; to blaze (of fire)
Etymology
شَبّ names alum, a double sulfate salt long valued for its astringent properties. The word rests on the triliteral root ش-ب-ب, which elsewhere carries senses of blazing and youthful vigor. Whether the mineral name shares that origin or is a separate homograph is not certain. The English word alum comes from Latin alumen, not from Arabic.
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