Al-Zubānā ()

Al-Zubānā (), The Claw, is an Arabic star name originally referring to a star in Libra, but later also applied to stars in Cancer.

Concordance, Etymology, History

The term was used for the following stars:

• α Cnc (now named Acubens)
• ι Cnc (now named Yuyu)

al-Zubānā in Adams (2018), pp. xx-xx.

al-Zubānā per Khalid AlAjaji

al-Zubānā in Laffitte (2012, 2025).

The Arabic al-Zubānā, interpreted as "the Claw" of the Crab, a name originally used by the Arabs for Libra, where its true meaning is "the Scales" (Laffitte 2025, 222)

De leur côté les Arabes adoptèrent, dans le système des stations lunaires, le nom mésopotamien sous la forme al-Zubānā, probablement par le canal du mandéen, un dialecte araméen oriental d’Iraq, dans lequel une « balance » se dit zibānīta. […] Or, sous l’influence des Grecs qui voyaient dans cette région les Pinces du Scorpion, les philologues arabes voulurent expliquer al-Zubānā par la racine √ZBN, « pousser », en donnant à ce mot le sens de « pinces », sens qu’ils étendirent à la constellation du Cancer (voir α et ι Cnc).

ENGLISH

For their part, the Arabs adopted the Mesopotamian name al-Zubānā in their system of lunar stations, probably via Mandaic, an eastern Aramaic dialect of Iraq, in which "balance" is zibānīta*. […] However, under the influence of the Greeks who saw in this region the Claws of the Scorpion, the Arab philologists wanted to explain al-Zubānā by the root √ZBN, "to push", giving this word the meaning of "claws", a meaning which they extended to the constellation of Cancer (see α and ι Cnc).

see also Laffitte (online): “DU BABYLONIEN ZIBĀNĪTU(M) À L'ARABE AL-ZUBĀNĀ PAR LE MANDÉEN ZABĀNĪTĀ? (PDF)