# All Slavic languages: zabraouti



## be.010

Hi!

Just wanted to know what is "zabraouti"? (pronounced as Zabra'ooti")... It refers to the last name of a Syrian family which immigrated to Syria more than 150 years ago thru Turkey and many Russian and Ukrainian people who just "see" them tell that they r "zabraouti" or "zabraout" of Russian origins. So what is "zabraouti"? Does it have any relation with zapporozhe or cossacks? Any help is appreciated!


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## Saluton

Hello...
The word забрать (zabrat') in Russian means "to take somewhere", "to take away". I don't know how else to help you about that...


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## be.010

Thanks... I don't think "zabrat'" has anything to do with Zabraouti (maybe?!), yet I have found the same word (Zabrauti) in Romania (the name of a river and a quartier in Bucharest)... I don't know if the river was named after the people who lived there, or the other way around...

It doesn't sound like a language issue! But maybe the word has a meaning is a Slavic language...

Still searching!!


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## Duya

It's really hard to tell without knowing the family history, which may trigger further history search, to be lost in mists of time... I'll allow myself some speculation:

As you noticed, Zăbrăuţi is a Romanian toponym, so you might be on a right track with that. The family might even have taken the name of the quarter of Bucharest where they originated from -- as was fairly common at the time. 

Now, Zăbrăuţi itself might easily be of Slavic origin -- you better ask at Romanian or "Other languages" subforum -- as Romanian is full of Slavic borrowings. Even if it is, it's difficult to track the exact origin, because "za-" is a common Slavic prefix (meaning "for-", "behind-" and a lot more), and "bra-" is a fairly common (part of the) root. For example, in Serbian "zabraniti" means "to forbid" (but I highly doubt it has anything to do with Zăbrăuţi), "izabrati" means "to select", but in Russian "zabrat'" is something completely different... 

I don't think that "Zabrauti", in that specific form, means anything in any Slavic language... 

Bottom line: even if the origin is ultimately Slavic (which is still very uncertain), a slight spelling alteration in history might have mutilated the original beyond recognition.


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## sokol

Duya said:


> Bottom line: even if the origin is ultimately Slavic (which is still very uncertain), a slight spelling alteration in history might have mutilated the original beyond recognition.


Right, and there's already a slight mutilation as the "t" in "Zăbrăuţi" is pronounced /ts/ (or written in Slavic languages as "c") (also the sound "ă" is a shwa, but that's a minor phonetic detail in this case here).

As you say, etymology could easily be Slavic but it is difficult to tell how this Romanian word should be rendered in Slavic.
Probably "Zăbrăuţi" might even be a hypothetical Slavic "zabravci" (with "v" being similar to English "w" in ancient Slavic - and some modern Slavic languages) which opens yet other possibilities; "Zabravec" for example exists in other Slavic languages - in Slovenian for sure (but there "l" can change to "v", thus probably historically *Zabralec), probably also in others.


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## be.010

Exactly... Even more, to transliterate the word accurately, it is pronounced in Arabic like "Zăbră-'ooti". (Assuming that ă sounds like a short "A", right?)
Also, the Arabic doesn't have a "P" letter... and any "P" is changed into "B" when transliterated. So it MIGHT have been "Zapra-"... yeah a little confusing, but possible...

Regarding the family hitory, briefly, it came to Syria through Turkey in the early 19th century during the Ottoman rule. Till now, many family members still have the family's original physical characteristics, that many of them were actually recognized in Russia and Ukraine as "Zabraouti"!!! and that's actually the point... So they are expected to belong to somewhere around (but not south) the Black Sea...Could it be a name of a group of people or a description or…?​Thanks a lot!


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## texpert

A modification of a regional name of Zaporozhye (Ukraine) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhia perhaps?


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## be.010

texpert said:


> A modification of a regional name of Zaporozhye (Ukraine) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhia perhaps?


 
Yeah I think that's it... Thanks! Just wanted to make sure if such a modification is possible...


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## texpert

I'm equally clueless. What does a word ending *(o)uti* usually mean or indicate at in Arabic?


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## be.010

texpert said:


> I'm equally clueless. What does a word ending *(o)uti* usually mean or indicate at in Arabic?


 
Actually, nothing! Except that the suffix "-i" pronounced like the letter e, is usually used to mean "of -"... The word itself is surely not Arabic...


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## texpert

It does not sound much Russian either. 

This is how far I got with a simple "zabr" (*Забр)* search: http://rusfam.narod.ru/in/z.html 
http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/lastnames/4414. 

For a more profound research I'd need a Russian keyboard. 

I suggest that you switch the thread to a Russian forum (the moderators should do that for you) and ask for a link to a Russian register of family names or simply cry for a help


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## Duya

Well, pronunciation of Russian "Запорожци" (Zaporozhians) is approximately:

[zapə'ro:ʃt͡si]

I'll let the readers decide for themselves whether its ultimate evolution into "zabraouti" (presumably [zabra:wti] or [zapra:wti]) in another language is plausible.


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## russlank

Hi!

By the way, the same has happened with someone I know, since more than 40 years, when he was in Russia. 

The mother of the person from this family. As I understand, they recognize them from the shape of their eyes.


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## oveka

be.010 said:


> Hi!
> 
> Just wanted to know what is "zabraouti"? (pronounced as Zabra'ooti")... It refers to the last name of a Syrian family which immigrated to Syria more than 150 years ago thru Turkey and many Russian and Ukrainian people who just "see" them tell that they r "zabraouti" or "zabraout" of Russian origins. So what is "zabraouti"? Does it have any relation with zapporozhe or cossacks? Any help is appreciated!


Це суто українське означення - йдеться про те, що вони, ці люди, були *забраті *до полону кримчаками. Від виразу - *забрати в полон*. З метою подальшого продажу в рабство.
This is a purely Ukrainian definitions - said that they, the people, to take away *captives *from Krimchaks. From the expression - *take **prisoner*. To further sale into slavery.


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## Spikaly

Czech:

*zabrat*
      							 								take (over) 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								occupy 								 							 							 							 						  						 	 								 									 									, 								 							 							 							 						   							 								seize 								 							 							 							 						  							  								 									 									sth 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								take (up) 								 							 							 							 						  			 				 								 									 									, 								 							 							 							 				 		  							 								occupy 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								fill (up) 								 							 							 							 						  			 				 								 									 									sth 								 							 							 							 		 				 
  							 								take (up) 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								consume 								 							 							 							 						  					 		 								 									 									, 								 							 							 							 						   							 								use 								 							 							 							 						  							 	 							up 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 				 					 									sth 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								work 								 							 							 							 						  							  								 									 									, 								 							 							 							 						  	 						 								take 								 							 							 							 						  							 			 					effect 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 		 							 									, 								 							 							 							 						  							 				 				be 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 effective 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								kick in 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								step up 								 							 							 							 						  					 		 								 									 									/ 								 							 							 							 						   							 								move 								 							 							 							 						  							  								up 								 							 							 							 						  							 								a 		 						 							 							 							 						  							 								gear 								 			 				 							 							 						  							 								 									 									, 					 			 							 							 							 						  							 								pull 								 						 	 							 							 						  							 								out 								 							 							 	 						 						  							 								all 								 							 							 							 				 		  							 								the 								 							 							 							 						  							  								stops 								 							 							 							 						  							 								  									 									, 								 							 							 							 						  							 	 							turn 								 							 							 							 						  							 								up  								 							 							 							 						  							 								the 								 		 					 							 							 						  							 								heat 								 							 				 			 							 						 
  							 								put 								 							 							 							 						  							 	 							some 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 elbow 								 							 							 							 						  							 								grease 		 						 							 							 							 						  							 								into 								 			 				 							 							 						  							 								it 								 							 							  							 						 
  							 								bite 								 							 							 							 						  							  								 									 									, 								 							 							 							 						  	 						 								take 								 							 							 							 						  							 			 					the 								 							 							 							 						  							 								bait 	 							 							 							 							 						 
  							 								exhaust 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								wear out 								 							 							 							 						  				 			 								 									 									sb 								 							 							 							 				 		 
  							 								give 								 							 							 							 						  							  								 									 									sb 								 							 							 							 						   							 								a 								 							 							 							 						  							 					 			hard 								 							 							 							 						  							 								time 		 						 							 							 							 						 
  							 								take 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								pan 								 							 							 							 						  							 	 							 									 									sb 								 							 							 							 						  	 						 								 									 									/ 								 							 							 							 		 				  							 								 									 									sth 								 							 							 	 						 						 

*zabrat se*
become 								 							 							 							 						  							 								absorbed  								 							 							 							 						  							 								 									 			 						/ 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 immersed 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 					 				 									/ 								 							 							 							 						  							 							 	engrossed 								 							 							 							 						  							 								 			 						 									in 								 							 							 							 						  							 				 				 									 									sth 								 							 							 							 						 
  							 								submerge 								 							 							 							 						  				 			 								 									 									osf 								 							 							 							 			 			  							 								 									 									in 								 							 							 			 				 						  							 								 									 									sth


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