sahibi

Sahibi is a Turkish noun meaning "the owner" or "possessor." It is used to refer to the person who owns or possesses something and often appears in constructions that indicate ownership, such as evin sahibi (“the owner of the house”) or arabanın sahibi (“the owner of the car”). The form is derived from sahip (owner) plus a definite-marking suffix, giving a definitive sense to the noun in phrases describing ownership.

Etymology and cognates: The Turkish word sahıbı derives from the Arabic sahb/sahib, meaning "possessor" or "master," and was absorbed into Turkish through historical contact with Persian and Arabic. In Turkish grammar, sahibi functions as a substantive within a noun phrase; it is commonly paired with another noun in the genitive or possessive construction to identify the owner.

Usage and notes: In contemporary Turkish, sahip is the base term for “owner,” with sahıbi forming a definite, noun-phrase counterpart meaning “the owner.” The expression is widely used in everyday speech as well as formal writing. While sahibi exists as a standard Turkish word, it is not typically used as a standalone title or honorific in the modern language.

Relation to other languages: The root form sahib is well established in Urdu, Hindi, and other South Asian languages, where it often functions as an honorific meaning "sir" or "master." The Turkish sahibi, however, is primarily a grammatical construction within ownership phrases rather than the honorific usage common to sahib in those languages.

See also: Sahip; Sahib