Dabbabah
/dəˈbɑːbə/noun
A covered siege engine or movable tower used to approach and attack fortified walls.
Did you know?The Arabic root d-b-b means “to move slowly” or “creep,” and the related Qur’anic phrase Dābbat al-Arḍ refers to a beast emerging from the earth at the end of time.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic or early Semitic
Semitic
*d-b-b
“To move slowly, creep, or crawl; the reconstructed deeper root is uncertain but widely reflected in Semitic languages.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
دَبَّ dabba
“He crept, crawled, or moved slowly.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
دَابَّة dābbah
“A moving creature, beast, or animal; literally something that moves along the earth.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
دَبَّابَة dabbābah
“A covered siege device or movable shelter used by soldiers advancing toward a fortress.”
19th–20th Century
English
dabbabah
“An English military-historical loanword for an ancient or medieval siege engine, also spelled dabbāba or dababa.”
Modern Arabic
Arabic
دَبَّابَة dabbāba
“A tank or armored vehicle, a later technological extension of the older “creeping” siege machine.”
Explore more surprising origins