كربلاء

• كَرْبَلَا (karbalā)

Etymology uncertain. Many theories exist, some of which are:[1][2]

• Blend of كَرْب (karb, “distress”) +‎ بَلَاء (balāʔ, “calamity”)
• كَرْبَلَة (karbala, “flaccid, loose, soft”), in reference to its soil.
• كَرْبَل (karbal, “Rumex plant”), due to its existence there
• Akkadian 𒆪𒉡𒀭 (“Near God, close to God”) (𒆪𒉡 (qarābu) +‎ 𒀭 (ilu))
• Persian کار بالا (“Deed up risen”)
• كُوَر (kuwar, “Villages”) +‎ بابِلِ (bābili, “of Babylon”), due to its proximity to them.
• كَرْبَلَ (karbala, “to purify, to clean”)

كَرْبَلَاء • (karbalāʔ) f

1. Karbala, a city in Iraq, holy to Shia Muslims as the site of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali

   Synonyms: الطَّف (aṭ-ṭaf), الحائِر (al-ḥāʔir), النَّوَاوِيس (an-nawāwīs), الغاضِرِيَّة (al-ḡāḍiriyya)

According to al-Afghani, the hamza at the end was not pronounced at first and was added later.

• English: Karbala, Karbala'