Borrowed from Aramaic מצטבתא (maṣṭaḇṯā), from Aramaic מצב (meṣb, “stele; a stone slab”), from Aramaic מצב (məṣab, “to erect or plant an object into the ground”), ultimately from Aramaic נצב (nəṣab, “to plant”); cognate with Classical Syriac ܡܨܛܒܬܐ (maṣṭaḇṯā) and cognate to the native root ن ص ب (n ṣ b).