What is "nisba"

n. (cx grammar English) An Arabic derivational adjective formed with the suffix (lang ar ـي) -ī, -iyy (g: m) / (lang ar ـية) -íyya (g: f), or an adjective in another Near Eastern language that is formed similarly.

The Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as nisbah or nisbat) may refer to:

• Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation
• Nisba (onomastics), a nisba used as an element in an Arabic name

In Arabic names, a nisba (also spelled nesba, sometimes nesbat ; , "attribution") is an adjective indicating the person's place of origin, tribal affiliation, or ancestry, used at the end of the name and occasionally ending in the suffix -iyy(ah). Nisbah is originally an Arabic word that was passed to many other languages such as Turkish, Persian and Urdu.

In the usage of Persian, Turkish and Urdu, it is pronounced/written exclusively nisbat. In Arabic usage, that pronunciation occurs when the word is uttered in its genitive case only.

The practice has been adopted in Iranian names and South Asian Muslim names. The nisba has sometimes become a surname.