Kabir

What does Kabir mean?

Kabir means ‘great’, from Arabic kabīr, carried into Hindi through Persian. Wiktionary records the Arabic adjective and the Hindi name, including the poet Kabir. ‘Noble’ is a looser interpretation than the dictionary's direct ‘great’. The Arabic expression al-Kabīr is also a name of God. Alongside that religious use, the poet gives Kabir a significant South Asian literary association that should be distinguished from the word's etymology.

Source: Wiktionary, कबीर. How we use sources.

Spelling and pronunciation

कबीर is read ka-beer, with a short first vowel and a long second one; کبیر is the Urdu form. Kabeer makes the long ee explicit. The r may be lightly tapped. Kavi, the Sanskrit word for ‘poet’, is a different word despite its similar opening.

Also spelled Kabeer.

Kabir in tradition and story

Kabir was a fifteenth-century poet associated with Varanasi and the bhakti and sant traditions. His verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, and his followers form the Kabir Panth. His work has significance across several religious communities.