The word "rabbi" is derived from the Hebrew word ' , which literally means "great one" or "master". The form of the title in English and many other languages derives from the possessive form in Hebrew of ': ' , meaning "my master", which is how a student would address a superior. The title gained an irregular plural form: (' ), rather than "rabbay" ("my masters"). In the third person one could say "ha-rav" ("the master") or "rabbo" ("his master"); the world "rav" itself is also used as a title for rabbis, as are "rabbeinu" ("our master") and "ha-rav".