حبذا

Univerbation of حَبَّ (ḥabba, “to like”) +‎ ذَا (ḏā, “this”).

• IPA^(key): /ħab.ba.ðaː/

حَبَّذَا • (ḥabbaḏā) (inconjugable)

1. how good is...! how lovely is...!

   Synonym: نِعْمَ (niʕma)

   Antonyms: بِئْسَ (biʔsa), سَاءَ (sāʔa)

   • c. 12th century CE, 'Arqala al-Kalbi, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     رَصَّعَ الشَّيْبُ لِمَّتِي يَا خَلِيلِي // بِنُجُومٍ طُلُوعُهُنَّ أُفُولِي
     كَانَ شَعْرِي كَمُقْلَتَيْكَ فَأَضْحَى // كَثَنَايَاكَ حَبَّذَا مِن بَدِيلِ

     raṣṣaʕa š-šaybu limmatī yā ḵalīlī // binujūmin ṭulūʕuhunna ʔufūlī
     kāna šaʕrī kamuqlatayka faʔaḍḥā // kaṯanāyāka ḥabbaḏā min badīli

     The greyness has embroidered my locks, oh my dear, // with the stars, their rise is my dusk.
     My hair was the colour of your eyes, and now // it became the colour of your teeth, what a wonderful change!

2. preferably, rather, better
   • 2002 July 15, United Nations, A/57/PV.9‎:

     وَسَوْفَ تَسْعَى حُكُومَتِي جَاهِدَةً إِلَى تَحْقِيقِ ٱخْتِتَامِ المُفَاوَضَاتِ فِي هَٰذَا ٱلصَّدَدِ فِي وَقْتٍ مُنَاسِب، حَبَّذَا يَكُونُ قَبْلَ نِهَايَةِ عَامِ ٢٠٠٣.

     wasawfa tasʕā ḥukūmatī jāhidatan ʔilā taḥqīqi ḵtitāmi l-mufāwaḍāti fī hāḏā ṣ-ṣadadi fī waqtin munāsib, ḥabbaḏā yakūnu qabla nihāyati ʕāmi ʔalfayni waṯalāṯa.

     My Government will strive for the timely conclusion of negotiations in this regard, preferably before the end of 2003.