Garib

Garib is a term used across languages in the Middle East and South Asia. In Arabic and Persian, the root word gharīb meaning "strange, foreign" or "alien" is common in literature and place names. In Urdu and Hindi the word garīb (गरीब) specifically means "poor" or "the impoverished," reflecting its distinct semantic field in those languages. The two senses share an underlying notion of marginality.

As a personal name, Garib appears as a given name or surname in various communities in South Asia and the broader Islamic world. It is often transliterated as Gharib or Ghareeb in different scripts. The name carries cultural resonance related to its linguistic roots, but its meaning in a given usage is determined by language and context rather than a fixed interpretation.

In usage, garīb may describe a person in need or be employed descriptively for someone perceived as an outsider, depending on the language. It also shows up in religious, historical, and literary contexts where marginality or otherness is a thematic element. The term has numerous transliterations in English and other languages, reflecting its cross-cultural transmission.