حنيف

Of the root ح ن ف (ḥ n f). Probably an Aramaic loan, borrowing first the plural of Classical Syriac ܚܢܦܐ (ḥanpā, “pagan, impious”) and back-forming the Arabic singular, or from a differently vocalized Nabataean Aramaic relative of it, the details are disputed, like the semantics were a source of disagreement from the beginning.