قبقاب

Meaning

patten, clog, chopine

Concepts

clogs

sandals

Pronounced as (IPA)

/qab.qaːb/

Etymology

From the root ق ب ب (q b b), meaning “the side of an animal”, “the belly or abdomen” suggested by Lane to ultimately be onomatopoeic in origin from the sound of a rumbling stomach. It is in this location where a saddle rests, hence derives the sense of a wood suitable for carving and shaping. Related to قَيْقَب (qayqab) and ق و ب (q w b), meaning “to carve, peel, or hollow out wood”. Compare Ge'ez ቆጶን (ḳop̣p̣on) – a Cushitic borrowing –, Oromo kopē, kopʿē, Harari ኩብካብ (kubkab), Tigre ቅረቃብ (ḳəräḳab), Gurage ቈቤ (ḳʷäbe), Beja kobā. Dozy suggests an ultimately Old South Arabian origin, a regional wanderwort.