# All Dialects: عقب



## Hemza

Hello everyone,

Does someone know about the root "عقب" with the meaning "to return" or "after"? I've heard Iraqis in my university saying "3guub" with the meaning "after". while in rural areas of Morocco, "e3gub" is used to mean "come back, return" (while urban would say "erja3").
Also, is it used somewhere else? I suspect this word/roots coming from Banu Hilal/ma3qil dialect thus bedouin dialects so I mainly wonder if this word/roots exist in the rest of the Maghreb.

Ps: I wrote "Kuwaiti" in the title because  I've heard it from people from بغداد  and also a girl from البصرة (not really sure about this latter) so I guess it's used in Kuwait too?


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## analeeh

_3aqib,_ in FuSHaa, is the back of the foot I think. _3aqiba_ thus means 'on the heels of' or 'straight after' in MSA. I would guess that _3uquub _(> _3guub_) was at least at one point a plural of _3aqib_ in some colloquial dialect and then got used in a similar prepositional meaning for 'after'.

As for its verbal use to mean 'return', I don't know, but in CA it means 'go after', which could easily be reanalysed to become 'return'.


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## Hemza

Thank you, I didn't know at all about this!!


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## aisha93

عقب means > later/after
for example:
> بكلمك عقب شوي (I'll talk to you later)
it's the same as saying: بكلمك بعد شوي
> عقب كل ما سويت لك للحين تكرهني؟ (after all I've done for you, you still hate me?)
> عقب العشاء (after dinner)
etc.


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## djara

In Tunisia 3ugb/3qaab illil  عقب عقاب الليل means late at night.
عقاب also means remainders, what's left of something 3qaab essouq عقاب السوق means the leftovers when a market is about to close down.
3qaab is also used pejoratively to indicate one's dislike of a person: 3qaab wahd(a) + a pejorative adjective.


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## davoosh

As far as I know, in Kuwaiti it is 3ugub/3ugab عقب, not 3uguub عقوب. It is used to mean 'after' 3ugub maa aruu7 (After I go), etc.


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## Drink

I think in fusHa there is a word 3uqb, which could be the source of 3ugub/3ugab.


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## Hemza

Thank you all for your input. This thread is of course still open for more informations or other dialects.


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## tounsi51

In Kuwait/UAE at least, عقب means after (عقب باجر= after tomorrow).


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## Ihsiin

In Iraqi we say _ʕugub_, nor _ʕgūb_.


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## Zoghbi

In Algeria some rurals do know "3ogab" (عقاب)"after" "following to": "3ogab erramdhan"->after the ramadan. "3ogab el bell"-> behind the camels.


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## Startinov

You're right!
in rural areas of Morocco, "e3gub" is used to mean "come back, return"

"  عقب ..فين غادي ؟ "
" come here, where are you going !! "


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## Hemza

Thank you all for your input .

Ps: sorry @Ihsiin if I've mistaken their pronunciation, I don't know why I thought it was a long vowel.


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## Besbes

In Algeria ( especially in eastern parts and rural central parts) 3geb/yo3gob means " to pass". 
It is also used in the phrase " fi 3gab-i/ek/ou..." meaning "after me". Example : "rahoum dima fi 3gabi", they are always after me, they don't leave me alone


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## Hemza

That's amazing, I didn't know about this. I guess this meaning might exist in some areas in Morocco.


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## Hemza

What about other dialects? Sorry I limited my thread on Moroccan/Iraqi but I wanted to change it for "all dialects".


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## Besbes

Hemza said:


> That's amazing, I didn't know about this. I guess this meaning might exist in some areas in Morocco.



And I would add that in Algeria "3egba" means "a climb", in standard arabic "عقبة" is an obstacle.
What do you say in Morocco to say "a climb" ?


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## Hemza

I don't know how we say "a climb" (I wasn't born there nor I lived there) but I know we also use عقبة for something which is steep (its meaning is close to وعر)


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## elroy

عقب (3u2ob) is used to mean "after" in some sub-dialects of Palestinian Arabic, but it's not very widespread.

This is the same root that is found in the widespread expression عقبال عندك (3u2baal 3indak) ("may you experience the same thing," i.e. "may you *follow*"/"may you *be next*"/"may you experience this *after* me").  Another variant is العقبة عندك (il3a2be 3indak).


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## Ali Smith

Hemza said:


> I don't know how we say "a climb" (I wasn't born there nor I lived there) but I know we also use عقبة for something which is steep (its meaning is close to وعر)


وَعْر also means "a scary place", doesn't it? I also remember reading that وَعْر المعروفِ means "a miserly person". In the latter case it is being used as an adjective, it seems. Also, جَبَل وَعْر means "a rugged mountain" (and here وَعْر is clearly an adjective).


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## djara

Besbes said:


> And I would add that in Algeria "3egba" means "a climb"


I now understand the meaning of a toponym in Tunisia, el Agba, a suburb of Tunis, situated on top of a hill.

I'll add that in Tunisia العاقبة (il āqba) is used to mean: outcome, future, especially in well-wishing:
ربّي يحسن العاقبة May the outcome be better (than the current situation); literally, May God improve the outcome. 
العاقبة ليك said by someone celebrating a happy event to someone come to congratulate him/her


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