Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Bible In the New Testament, God.
  • noun Used as a title of honor for bishops and patriarchs in some Christian churches of Egypt, Syria, and Ethiopia.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Father.
  • noun See aba.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Father; religious superior; -- in the Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic churches, a title given to the bishops, and by the bishops to the patriarch.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Late Latin abbā, from Greek; see abbot.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Latin, from Ancient Greek, from Aramaic אבא/ܐܒܐ (ʼabbāʼ, "father").

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Examples

  • Dancing Queens reunited: The girls from ABBA share the stage | Mail Online: They've barely been on stage together since Abba split in 1982.

    Archive 2009-01-25 Bill Crider 2009

  • Barabbas just meant "son of Abba", where abba means father.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Perhaps the term Abba had special significance in 1C Judaism that the diaspora communities Paul dealt with recognized or resonated with.

    What Jesus Said and Did: 1) Prayer in Gethsemane James F. McGrath 2008

  • If there is any truth to the folk etymology of "Jesus Barabbas" then the term Abba was well entrenched at the time.

    What Jesus Said and Did: 1) Prayer in Gethsemane James F. McGrath 2008

  • Jesus chose the word Abba, the Aramaic word for “Daddy,” to describe God.

    Swan’s Soup & Salad DR. DENNIS SWANBERG 1999

  • Jesus chose the word Abba, the Aramaic word for “Daddy,” to describe God.

    Swan’s Soup & Salad DR. DENNIS SWANBERG 1999

  • A third features a young boy whose Israeli father doesn't respond to being called "Daddy" but instantly reacts when his son calls him by the Hebrew word "Abba."

    NYT > Home Page By ROBERT MACKEY 2011

  • A third features a young boy whose Israeli father doesn't respond to being called "Daddy" but instantly reacts when his son calls him by the Hebrew word "Abba."

    NYT > Home Page By ROBERT MACKEY 2011

  • In another, a young boy attempts to get his father's attention with "Daddy", but finds more success when he uses the word "Abba", Hebrew for father.

    BBC News - Home 2011

  • Very appropriate, but 10 seconds of Abba is all I can take.

    Matthew Yglesias » A Song for Jim DeMint 2010

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