Found in one LL where it is equated to ubānum. Considered a W. SEM loan without definite source [CAD] or a derivate from ṣabātu 'to catch' [AHw]. Note that if a loanword, ne- prefixation is difficult to explain, while if a genuine AKK word, it can be regarded as a prefix *ma- (on which see Introduction) which regularly shifts to na- (> ne- because of *-ʕ) if one of the root consonants is a labial

    Also ṣbʕ 'certain measure of length, finger' [ibid. 958]

    Cf. also ʔädbaʕ (ʔädbǝʕā) 'finger' [Ja 15], with an unexplained -d- (a variant root?)

    Forms without ʔV- are attested in many ARB dialects

    This form quoted [ibid. 108] and in [LGz 45] is questionable both phonetically and semantically (-ṭ < *-t influenced by ṣ-?); the form ṣatä quoted in [LGaf 237] looks phonetically more tenable

    -ḥ < -ʕ in Auslaut. Cf. also [SSL LS 1451]

    Note a meaning shift in ESA: SAB ʔṣbʕ, used to denote fractions, e.g. ʔṣbʕm bn t_mny '1/8'' [SD 140]; MIN ṣbʕ 'doigt' ("exprime les termes d'une unité") [LM 93]. [DLU 55]: UGR, EBL, ARB, GEZ, HBR, ARM, AKK; [KB 81]: HBR, UGR, ARM, ARB, SAB, GEZ, AKK (iṣbittu, not found in AKK dictionaries); [Brock 620]: SYR, HBR, JUD, ARB, GEZ; [LGz 45]: GEZ, ETH, ARB, ARM, HBR, UGR, ESA, SOQ; [LS 70]: SOQ, MSA, ARB, HBR, SYR, GEZ