The origin of the word is obscure, but is thought by some to have come from Arabic (from "diwan", a collection of poems or prayers), French (from "devoner", 'to devote' or 'dedicate' or possibly from the French 'devant'- 'in front of' with the idea that the person praying is mindful of before whom they stand), Latin (from "divin", 'divine') or even English (from "dawn"). Others believe that it derives from a Slavic word meaning "to give" (). Some claim that it originates from an Aramaic word, "de'avuhon" or "d'avinun", meaning 'of their/our forefathers', as the three prayers are said to have been invented by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Another Aramaic derivation, proposed by Avigdor Chaikin, cites the Talmudic phrase, ""ka davai lamizrach"", 'gazing wistfully to the east' (Shab. 35a). Kevin A. Brook, cites Zeiden's suggestion that the word "daven" comes from the Turkish root "tabun-" meaning 'to pray', and that in Kipchak Turkish, the initial "t" morphs into "d".