What does “eib” mean in Arabic?

عيب (ʿeib), meaning “shame” or “improper,” is one of the most-used parenting words in Arabic. Said sharply to a child, it stops the behavior immediately: don’t say that, don’t do that, don’t ask that, eib. The word is universal across Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, and Maghrebi speech.

This clip is a vintage Egyptian TV moment where a child says something taboo on camera and an adult instantly invokes عيب. The rest of the joke turns on how the kid keeps innocently going. The volume of eib-policing in Arab family life is something most non-Arab observers find remarkable. Eib is the boundary marker that teaches kids what’s acceptable.