Ma'bud
/mɑːˈbuːd/noun
An object of worship or deity, especially in Islamic theological language.
Did you know?Maʿbūd comes from the Arabic root ʿ-B-D, the same root behind ʿabd, “servant” or “worshipper,” as in the name Abdullah—“servant of God.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ʕ-b-d
“To work, serve, or perform service; the reconstructed root underlying later religious meanings”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
ʿabada
“To serve, submit, or worship”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
maʿbūd
“That which is worshipped; a deity or object of devotion”
Medieval Islamic usage
Arabic/Persian
maʿbūd
“A deity or worshipped being in theological and literary language”
Modern English
English
ma'bud
“A transliterated loanword meaning an object of worship or deity”