Al-Jabir
/æl ˈdʒɑːbɪr/noun
An Arabic epithet or personal name meaning “the restorer” or “the one who repairs.”
Did you know?The Arabic root j-b-r appears in the title of the famous scholar al-Khwarizmi’s work on al-jabr, the restoration of incomplete equations—giving English the word algebra.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*g-b-r
“To be strong, overpower, or prevail; the reconstructed ancestor is debated in detail across Semitic languages.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
جَبَرَ (jabara)
“To restore, mend, set a broken bone, or compel.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
الجابر (al-jābir)
“The restorer, mender, or one who repairs; al- means “the.””
9th Century
Arabic
al-jabr
“Restoration or completion, especially the mathematical operation of moving terms to complete an equation.”
12th Century
Latin
algebra
“A Latin borrowing of Arabic al-jabr, introduced through translations of mathematical works.”
Modern English
English
Al-Jabir
“A transliterated Arabic epithet or personal name, distinct from algebra despite sharing the same Arabic root.”