يثرب

Where it comes from

Uncertain, most likely of Ancient North Arabian origin; from his extensive stay in Northwest Arabia, it is listed in the Nabonidus Chronicle (approx. 6th century B.C.E) as Neo-Babylonian 𒅀𒀜𒊑𒁍 (ia-at-ri-bu /⁠iatribu⁠/) among several other familiar and connected city names like تَيْمَاء (taymāʔ, “Tayma”), دَادَان (dādān, “Dedan”), and خَيْبَر (ḵaybar, “Khaybar”). It is also attested in Minaean 𐩺𐩻𐩧𐩨 (yṯrb) and later in Sabaean 𐩺𐩻𐩧𐩨 (yṯrb) in the Abraha period, multiple forms exist in Greek, Koine Greek λαθριππα (lathrippa) by Ptolemy, Medieval Greek ιαθριππα (iathrippa) by Stephanus Byzantinus, as well as an undated Nabataean inscription.

The Arabs natively connect it to the root ث ر ب (ṯ r b) meaning to complain or accuse, to speak contemptuously, to blame or reproach, to punish or mete out justice, often with a folk attribution to a certain individual's name. Tradition has it that the negative connotations with this root was one of the impetus behind its later change to alternative appellations. The term مَدِينَة (madīna, “Madinah”) is likely borrowed from the Jewish population, meaning a city or province, originally a jurisdiction or place of justice, which was likely just a by-name by its city-going inhabitants, but can possibly also invoke a remnant of the sense "to mete out justice or punishment".