Mashrabaمشربة

عيلPer Ibn Fāris: the ʿ-y-l form is entirely a wāw-derivative meaning poverty and want; the … (root yl)

العين واللام والياء ليس فيه إلا ما هو منقلب عن واو العيلة الفاقة والحاجة

Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-lugha · English rendering

عيل
Patterns computed · our data

The words of ع ي ل that our sources attest: the root's letters in green, the added letters in gold.

22 words4 verbs6 verbal nouns4 participles2 intensives and elatives6 other nouns

  • عَيْلَةpoverty, and want
  • عَائِلpoor, and needy, or in want
  • عِيَالdependents
  • عَالَhe was, or became, poor, and in want
  • اعالَhe had a family, or household
The whole family5 groups, by pattern; tap a pattern to see what it does
Verbs4عَالَ · عيّلَ · اعالَ

The root as an action: the bare Form I, and the Forms made by adding letters before, inside or after the root.grammar →

  • عَالَhe was, or became, poor, and in wantLaneForm ILaneIbn Fāris
  • عيّلَForm IILane
  • اعالَhe had a family, or householdLaneForm IVLane
  • تَعَيَّلَLane: see Form IForm VLane
Verbal nouns6عَيْلَة · عَيَلَان · عَوْل

The action itself, named as a noun (maṣdar).grammar →

  • عَيْلَةpoverty, and wantLaneForm I · Lane: inf. n.Qurʾān ×1LaneIbn Fāris
  • عَيَلَانForm I · Lane: inf. n.LaneIbn Fāris
  • عَوْلForm I · Lane: inf. n.Lane
  • عَيْلForm I · Lane: inf. n.Lane
Participles4عَائِل · مُعَيَّل · مُعَيِّل

The one who does it, and the one it is done to.grammar →

  • عَائِلpoor, and needy, or in wantLaneactive, Form IQurʾān ×1Lane
  • مُعَيَّلpassive, Form IILane
  • مُعَيِّلactive, Form IILane
  • مُعِيلactive, Form IVLane
Intensives, qualities and the elative2عيْلَان · عَيَّال

The quality carried far, held as a trait, or compared.grammar →

  • عيْلَانthe male hyenaLaneintensive (faʿlān)LaneIbn Fāris
  • عَيَّالthat inclines from side to side in gait, and is proud, haughty, or …Laneintensive (faʿʿāl)Lane
Other nouns6عِيَال · عَيَل · عَيِّل

Nouns on other patterns; their meaning is learned word by word.grammar →

  • عِيَالdependentsautonounlibrary ×1Lane
  • عَيَلthe propounding of one's narration, and talk, to him who does not desire it …LanenounLane
  • عَيِّلnounLane
  • عَيْلَىwoman that weeps or wails for the deadLanenounLane
Why this shape?What each of the 11 patterns does

What each pattern does. The pattern gives a tendency, not a rule: many words have drifted into meanings of their own.

The pattern machinePour the root into a pattern; see whether the word exists

Choose a pattern; the root's letters pour into it. Then see whether the word exists in our sources. The machine makes shapes; only usage makes words.

مَفْعَلَةع ي لمَعْيَلَة

Not in our sources. A possible shape, not a word we can show: the Quran, the library and Lane do not have it for this root.

Place noun with -a. The place noun with the feminine -a. Sometimes it is only a variant of mafʿal; often it names the place where a thing is found in abundance (maʾsada, 'a place full of lions'). So maktab is the place of writing, and maktaba, where writings are gathered: a library, a bookshop. Our summary

But: maktaba is not in our classical dictionaries for k-t-b: Lane and al-Jawharī give maktab ('a school'), none gives maktaba. Its sense of 'library, bookshop' fits the pattern of abundance, but that is our reading of the pattern, not a classical entry. Many mafʿala words are single items of usage (maqbara 'cemetery'), which the grammarians call heard, not formed by rule.

The grammarians on this pattern (4)
  • ما يكون مفعلة لازمة لها الهاء والفتحة … وذلك إذا أردت أن تكثر الشيء بالمكان، وذلك قولك: أرض مسبعة، ومأسدة

    Chapter on what is mafʿala, with the -a and the a-vowel always: that is when you mean that a thing abounds in a place, as you say 'a land of many beasts of prey (masbaʿa), of many lions (maʾsada)'

    Sībawayh (d. c. 180/796), al-Kitāb, ed. ʿAbd al-Salām Hārūn, 3rd ed. (Cairo: al-Khānjī, 1988), 4:94 · OpenITI line 21027–21028 ↗ · on this site · OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

  • و نحو المظنة و المقبرة فتحا و ضما ليس بقياس

    and words like maẓinna and maqbara (with a or u) are not by rule

    Ibn al-Ḥājib (d. 646/1249), al-Shāfiya fī ʿilm al-taṣrīf, ed. Ḥasan Aḥmad al-ʿUthmān (Mecca: al-Maktaba al-Makkiyya, 1995), 1:30 · OpenITI line 223 ↗ · on this site · OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

  • “designate the place where the object signified by the noun from which they are formed, is found in large numbers or quantities” Wright, Grammar I, §247, p. 148 ↗ · on nouns of abundance, maf'ala · 3rd ed. (Cambridge, 1896) · public domain
  • “Nouns of time and place not unfrequently take the feminine form” Wright, Grammar I, §225, p. 128 ↗ · on maf'ala as a variant of maf'al · 3rd ed. (Cambridge, 1896) · public domain

This root has a weak or doubled letter, so real words change shape (qāla → qāʾil, not qāwil); the machine pours the letters in as they are, and matches attested words by their regular pattern.

About thisWhat “attested” means here; the sources

Attested means found in our data: the Quranic Arabic Corpus (lemmas, verb Forms, participles, verbal nouns, plurals), the library's words (automatic analysis), Lane's Lexicon (his headwords, the Forms he numbers, the verbal nouns and plurals he names) and Ibn Fāris's entry. Nothing is generated for this list. Meanings are Lane's first gloss in his entry, or else the analyser's gloss (“auto”). Vowelling follows the corpus, then Lane, then the analyser; verbs are given in the regular perfect. Lane's Lexicon thins out after qāf, and a few of his entries cover several roots at once: those roots show no Lane. The patterns, written with ف ع ل, are computed by us.

English: AI translation
  • al-Khalīl · 170Al-ʿiyāl (العيال) is a group of ʿayyil (عيل, dependent).

    al-Khalīl b. Aḥmad (d. c. 170/786), Kitāb al-ʿAyn. The first Arabic dictionary, arranged by permutations of the root letters.

    Al-ʿiyāl (العيال) is a group of ʿayyil (عيل, dependent). A man is muʿīl (معيل) or muʿayyil (معيل): 'having many dependents.' He [the poet] said (11): 'And a valley like the inside of a wild ass, desolate, I crossed it, in which the wolf howls like the abandoned man burdened with dependents (المعيل).' Al-ʿaylah (العيلة) is 'need.' A man becomes ʿāla yaʿīlu ʿaylatan (عال يعيل عيلة) 'when he becomes needy,' and in the ḥadīth: 'One who is moderate never becomes poor nor does he acquire dependents (ما عال مقتصد ولا يعيل)' (12), and he [the poet] said (13): 'Whoever becomes poor (عال) one day after her shall never be restored, nor drink water, nor pasture on foliage.' ʿAylān (عيلان) is the name of Abū Qays ibn ʿAylān ibn Muḍar.

    AI translation of the Arabic below

    العول: ارتفاع الحساب في الفرائض. والعالة: الفريضة. تعول عولا. ويقال للفارض: اعل الفريضة. والعول: الميل في الحكم، أي: الجور. والعول: كل أمر عالك. قالت الخنساء «7» : يكلفه القوم ما عالهم ... وإن كان أصغرهم مولدا والعولة من العويل، وهو البكاء. أعولت المرأة إعوالا، وهو شدة صياحها عند بكاء أو مكروه نزل بها. والعول أيضا: المعول. عول عليه: اقتصر عليه، ولم يختر عليه. وعولت عليه: استعنت به، ومعناه: صيرت أمري إليه. وتقول: أبفلان تعول علي وبكذا إذا نازعك في أمر يتطاول عليك. قال «8» : وليس على دهر لشيء معول وقال «9» : عندي ولا في القوم من معول والعول: قوت العيال. هو يعولهم عولا. والمعول: حديدة ينقر بها الجبال، قال «10» : أنيابها كالمعاول

  • al-Jawharī · 393ʿĀla al-farasu yaʿīlu ʿaylan (عال الفرس يعيل عيلا) 'when the horse swayed and leaned in its gait,' so it is a horse [called] ʿayyāl (عيال), and that is due to its nobility.

    al-Jawharī (d. c. 393/1003), al-Ṣiḥāḥ. Admits only usage he judged sound.

    ʿĀla al-farasu yaʿīlu ʿaylan (عال الفرس يعيل عيلا) 'when the horse swayed and leaned in its gait,' so it is a horse [called] ʿayyāl (عيال), and that is due to its nobility. Likewise a man, when he struts and sways in his walk. Aws said in describing the horse: 'like al-Marzubānī, ʿayyāl (عيال) with joints...' — and it is also transmitted as 'ʿayyār (عيار).' Al-taʿyīl (التعييل) is 'poor nourishment.' 'Ayyala al-rajulu farasahu (عيل الرجل فرسه)' means 'he let his horse loose in the wilderness.' And it is said of Ilyās ibn Muḍar ibn Nizār: 'Qays ʿAylān (قيس عيلان),' and there is no [other] ʿAylān (عيلان) among the Arabs besides him; it was originally the name of his horse, and it is said [also] that it is an epithet of Muḍar, because it is said 'Qays ibn ʿAylān.' Zufar ibn al-Ḥārith said (1): 'Indeed, Qays ibn ʿAylān is but a gnat — when it finds the scent of pressed wine, it sings.' Al-ʿaylān (العيلان) is the male hyena. Al-ʿaylah (العيلة) and al-ʿālah (العالة) mean 'want, poverty.' One says ʿāla yaʿīlu ʿaylatan wa-ʿuyūlan (عال يعيل عيلة وعيولا) 'when he became poor.' God Almighty said: '(And if you fear) ʿaylah (عيلة)' [want]. Uḥayḥah said: 'The poor man does not know when his enrichment [will come], nor does the rich man know when he will become poor (يعيل).' He is ʿāʾil (عائل, poor) and a people are ʿaylah (عيلة, poor). Al-ʿiyāl (العيال): the singular of al-ʿiyāl (العيال) is ʿayyil (عيل), and the plural is ʿayāʾil (عيائل), like jayyid/jiyād/jiyāʾid. Aʿāla al-rajulu (أعال الرجل) means 'his dependents became many,' so he is muʿīl (معيل) and the woman is muʿīlah (معيلة). Al-Akhfash said: it means 'he came to have dependents.' Abū Zayd: 'ālat al-ḍāllatu aʿīlu ʿaylan wa-ʿaylānan (علت الضالة أعيل عيلا وعيلانا)' — so I am ʿāʾil (عائل), 'when you do not know which direction you seek it in.' Al-Aḥmar said: 'ʿālanī al-shayʾu yaʿīlunī ʿaylan wa-muʿīlan (عالني الشيء يعيلني عيلا ومعيلا)' means 'when it overwhelms/defeats you [is beyond your capacity].' Abū Zayd said: 'aʿāla al-rajulu wa-aʿwala, iʿwālan (أعال الرجل وأعول، إعوالا)' means 'he was eager/greedy.'

    AI translation of the Arabic below

    العول والعولة: رفع الصوت بالبكاء، وكذلك العويل. تقول منه: أعول. وفي الحديث: " المعول عليه يعذب ". وأعولت القوس: صوتت. أبو زيد: عولت عليه: أدللت عليه دالة وحملت عليه. يقال: عول علي بما شئت، أي استعن بي، كأنه يقول: احمل علي ما أحببت. وماله في القوم من معول، والاسم العول. قال تأبط شرا: لكنما عولي إن كنت ذا عول على بصير بكسب الحمد (1) سباق (2) والعالة: شبه الظلة يستتر بها من المطر، مخففة اللام. تقول منه عولت عالة، أي بنيتها. قال عبد مناف بن ربع الهذلى: فالطعن شغشغة والضرب هيقعة ضرب المعول تحت الديمة العضدا وعال عياله يعولهم عولا وعيالة، أي قاتهم وأنفق عليهم. يقال: علته شهرا، إذا كفيته معاشه. قال الكميت: كما خامرت في حضنها أم عامر لذي الحبل حتى عال أوس عيالها لان الضبع إذا صيدت ولها ولد من الذئب لم يزل الذئب يطعم ولدها إلى أن يكبر. ويروى: " غال " بالغين المعجمة، أي أخذ جراءها. وقوله " لذى الحبل " أي للصائد الذى يعلق الحبل في عرقوبها. وعال الميزان فهو عائل، أي مائل. قال الشاعر: قالوا اتبعنا (1) رسول الله واطرحوا قول الرسول وعالوا في الموازين وقال أبو طالب: بميزان صدق لا يغل شعيرة له شاهد من نفسه غير عائل (1) ومنه قوله تعالى: (ذلك أدنى ألا تعولوا) . قال مجاهد: لا تميلوا ولا تجوروا. يقال: عال في الحكم، أي جار ومال. وعالني الشئ: أي غلبنى وثقل على. وعال الأمر، أي اشتد وتفاقم. وعيل صبري، أي غلب. وقولهم: " عيل ما هو عائله "، أي غلب ما هو غالبه. يضرب للرجل الذي يعجب من كلامه أو غير ذلك، وهو على مذهب الدعاء. قال النمر بن تولب: وأحبب حبيبك حبا رويدا فليس يعولك أن تصرما وقول الشاعر (2) : وعالت البيقورا (3) * أي إن السنة الجدبة أثقلت البقر بما حملت من السلع والعشر. وإنما كانوا يفعلون ذلك في السنة الجدبة، فيعمدون إلى البقر فيعقدون في أذنابها السلع والعشر، ثم يضرمون فيها النار وهم يصعدونها في الجبل، فيمطرون لوقتهم كما زعموا. قال أمية بن أبى الصلت يذكر ذلك: سنة أزمة تخيل بالنا من ترى للعضاه فيها صريرا لا على كوكب ينوء ولا ريح جنوب ولا ترى طخرورا ويسوقون باقر السهل للطو د مهازيل خشية أن تبورا عاقدين النيران في ثكن الاذ ناب منها لكى تهيج البحورا سلع ما ومثله عشر ما عائل ما وعالت البيقورا والعول أيضا: عول الفريضة. وقد عالت، أي ارتفعت، وهو أن تزيد سهاما فيدخل النقصان على أهل الفرائض. قال أبو عبيد: أظنه مأخوذا من الميل، وذلك أن الفريضة إذا عالت فهى تميل على أهل الفريضة جميعا فتنتقصهم. ويقال أيضا: عال زيد الفرائض وأعالها بمعنى، يتعدى ولا يتعدى. وعوال بالضم: حى من بنى عبد الله بن غطفان. وقال: وجمع عوال ما أدق والاما (1) * والمعول: الفأس العظيمة التي ينقر بها الصخر، والجمع المعاول. وأما قول الشاعر في وصف الحمام: فإذا دخلت سمعت فيها رنة لغط المعاول في بيوت هداد فإن معاول وهدادا: حيان من الازد. وعول: كلمة مثل ويب، يقال عولك، وعول زيد، وعول لزيد. وقد ذكر في (ويب) .

  • Ibn Fāris · 395ʿAyn (ع), lām (ل), and yāʾ (ي): there is nothing in it except what is a transformation from wāw (و), [namely] al-ʿaylah (العيلة) 'want, need.' One says ʿāla yaʿīlu ʿaylatan (عال يعيل عيلة) 'when he became needy.' God Alm

    Ibn Fāris (d. 395/1004), Maqāyīs al-Lugha. Seeks each root's original sense (aṣl).

    ʿAyn (ع), lām (ل), and yāʾ (ي): there is nothing in it except what is a transformation from wāw (و), [namely] al-ʿaylah (العيلة) 'want, need.' One says ʿāla yaʿīlu ʿaylatan (عال يعيل عيلة) 'when he became needy.' God Almighty said: 'And if you fear ʿaylah (عيلة)' [want]. And in the ḥadīth: 'One who is moderate never becomes poor (ما عال مقتصد).' And it was said: — 'Whoever among us becomes poor (عال) after her shall never be restored...' And ʿAylān (عيلان) is a [proper] name.

    AI translation of the Arabic below

    العين واللام والياء ليس فيه إلا ما هو منقلب عن واو العيلة الفاقة والحاجة يقال عال يعيل عيلة إذا احتاج قال الله تعالى : ﴿ وإن خفتم عيلة ﴾ وفي الحديث ( ما عال مقتصد ) وقال : — من عال منا بعدها فلا انجبر … وعيلان اسم

  • al-Rāghib · 502God Almighty said: 'And if you fear ʿaylah (عيلة)' [Sūrat al-Tawbah, 28], i.e., poverty.

    al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī (d. c. 502/1108), al-Mufradāt. Quranic vocabulary, from core sense to Quranic usage.

    God Almighty said: 'And if you fear ʿaylah (عيلة)' [Sūrat al-Tawbah, 28], i.e., poverty. One says: al-rajulu iḏā iftaqara yaʿīlu ʿaylatan (الرجل إذا افتقر يعيل عيلة) 'the man, when he becomes poor,' so he is ʿāʾil (عائل). As for aʿāla (أعال): 'when his dependents became many,' this is from the [root with] wāw. And His saying: 'And did He not find you ʿāʾilan (عائلا) and enrich [you]?' — meaning: He removed from you the poverty of the soul and granted you the greater wealth intended by his saying (peace be upon him): 'True wealth is the wealth of the soul (الغنى غنى النفس).' And it was said: 'One who is moderate never becomes poor (ما عال مقتصد).' And it was [also] said: [it means] 'And He found you poor/needy toward God's mercy and pardon, so He enriched you with His forgiveness of your former and latter sins.'

    AI translation of the Arabic below

    عاله وغاله يتقاربان. العول يقال فيما يهلك، والعول فيما يثقل، يقال: ما عالك فهو عائل لي «1» ، ومنه: العول، وهو ترك النصفة بأخذ الزيادة. قال تعالى: ذلك أدنى ألا تعولوا [النساء/ 3] ، ومنه: عالت الفريضة: إذا زادت في القسمة المسماة لأصحابها بالنص، والتعويل: الاعتماد على الغير فيما يثقل، ومنه: العول وهو ما يثقل من المصيبة، فيقال: ويله وعوله «2» ، ومنه: العيال، الواحد عيل لما فيه من الثقل، وعاله: تحمل ثقل مؤنته، ومنه قوله عليه السلام: «ابدأ بنفسك ثم بمن تعول» «3» وأعال: إذا كثر عياله «4» .

  • Lisān · 711ʿĀla yaʿīlu ʿaylan wa-ʿaylatan wa-ʿuyūlan wa-ʿuyūlan wa-muʿīlan (عال يعيل عيلا وعيلة وعيولا وعيولا ومعيلا): 'he became poor.' Al-ʿayyil (العيل) is 'the poor man,' and likewise al-ʿāʾil (العائل).

    Ibn Manẓūr (d. 711/1311), Lisān al-ʿArab. The great compendium of the earlier dictionaries (entry shortened).

    ʿĀla yaʿīlu ʿaylan wa-ʿaylatan wa-ʿuyūlan wa-ʿuyūlan wa-muʿīlan (عال يعيل عيلا وعيلة وعيولا وعيولا ومعيلا): 'he became poor.' Al-ʿayyil (العيل) is 'the poor man,' and likewise al-ʿāʾil (العائل). God Almighty said: 'And did He not find you ʿāʾilan (عائلا) and enrich [you]?' And in the ḥadīth: 'Indeed God hates the arrogant poor man (العائل المختال)' — al-ʿāʾil (العائل) is the poor man. From this is the ḥadīth of Ṣilah: 'As for me, I shall not become poor (لا أعيل) therein,' i.e., I shall not become impoverished. And in the ḥadīth about faith: 'And you will see the poor (العالة) as the heads of the people' — al-ʿālah (العالة) means 'the poor,' plural of ʿāʾil (عائل). And they used to say in a curse against a person: 'May he have neither wealth (مال) nor poverty-turning (عال),' where māla (مال) means 'he deviated from the truth,' and ʿāla (عال) means 'he became poor.' Marrah said: māla and ʿāla have one meaning: he became poor and needy. A man is ʿāʾil (عائل), from a people [called] ʿālah (عالة) and ʿayyil (عيل). He [the poet] said: 'They left Nahd poor (عيلا), their sons [so], while the Banū Kinānah were like the fierce thieves.' The noun is al-ʿaylah (العيلة). Al-ʿaylah (العيلة) and al-ʿālah (العالة) mean 'want, poverty.' One says: ʿāla yaʿīlu ʿaylatan wa-ʿuyūlan (عال يعيل عيلة وعيولا) 'when he became poor.' In the Revelation: 'And if you fear ʿaylah (عيلة).' And Uḥayḥah said: 'Is there any soothsayer or man of divination, when the season of return comes? I would wager with him and he would wager with me his sons over what I say. The poor man does not know when his enrichment [will come], nor does the rich man know when he will become poor (يعيل). Nor do you know, when you resolve upon a matter, in which land your resting-place (القيلولة) will overtake you.' He is ʿāʾil (عائل) and a people are ʿaylah (عيلة). And in the ḥadīth: 'One who is moderate never becomes poor nor gains dependents (ما عال مقتصد ولا يعيل),' i.e., he did not become impoverished. Al-ʿālah (العالة) is the plural of ʿāʾil (عائل), you say 'qawmun ʿālah (قوم عالة)' like ḥāʾik/ḥākah. Ibn Barrī said: from this is the ḥadīth: 'That you leave your heirs wealthy is better than leaving them poor (عالة), begging from people with open palms,' i.e., poor. 'Iyāl al-rajuli (عيال الرجل)' and 'ʿaylahu (عيله)' are those whom he undertakes to support and provide for; he [the poet] said: 'Peace be upon Yaḥyā, and let there be no expectation with him of a bond, even if poverty humiliates his dependent (عيله).' Sometimes al-ʿayyil (العيل) is singular, and the women [collectively] are ʿayāʾil (عيائل), thus specifying the women [as such]. A man is muʿīl (معيل): 'one who has dependents.' One says: 'He has so-and-so ʿaylan (عيلا),' i.e., so many persons among his dependents. And one says: 'He left orphans, ʿaylā (عيلى),' i.e., poor. The singular of al-ʿiyāl (العيال) is ʿayyil (عيل), and it is pluralized as ʿayāʾil (عيائل), [here] made general without specification. 'ʿAyyala ʿiyālahu (عيل عياله)' means 'he neglected them.' He [the poet] said: 'Indeed a stabbing wound of Nāshirah has left the orphans neglected (عيل).' And it was [also] said: 'ʿayyalahum (عيلهم)' means 'he made them dependents (عيالا).' 'ʿAyyala fulānun dābbatahu (عيل فلان دابته)' means 'when he neglected it and let it loose'; and it is cited: 'and when the exhausted [beast] rises up with him, he lets it loose (يعيل)' i.e., he turns it loose. Ibn Sīdah said: 'ʿāla al-rajulu wa-aʿāla wa-aʿyala wa-ʿayyala (عال الرجل وأعال وأعيل وعيل)' all mean 'his dependents became numerous,' so he is muʿīl (معيل), and the woman is muʿīlah (معيلة); and al-Akhfash said: it means 'he came to have dependents.' Ibn al-Kalbī: 'mā ziltu muʿīlan min al-ʿaylah (ما زلت معيلا من العيلة)' means 'I remained needy.' Ibn al-Aʿrābī: al-ʿayl (العيل) is al-ʿaylah (العيلة, need); and al-ʿayl (العيل) is the plural of al-ʿāʾil (العائل), which is 'the poor man'; and al-ʿayl (العيل) [also] is the plural of al-ʿāʾil (العائل), which is 'the arrogant, strutting man.' And Yūnus said: one says 'ṭālat ʿaylatī iyyāka (طالت عيلتي إياك)' with the yāʾ [entry continues]

    AI translation of the Arabic below

    العول: الميل في الحكم إلى الجور. عال يعول عولا: جار ومال عن الحق. وفي التنزيل العزيز: ذلك أدنى ألا تعولوا ؛ وقال: إنا تبعنا رسول الله واطرحوا ... قول الرسول، وعالوا في الموازين والعول: النقصان. وعال الميزان عولا، فهو عائل: مال؛ هذه عن اللحياني. وفي حديث عثمان، رضي الله عنه: كتب إلى أهل الكوفة إني لست بميزان لا أعول «1» أي لا أميل عن الاستواء والاعتدال؛ يقال: عال الميزان إذا ارتفع أحد طرفيه عن الآخر؛ وقال أكثر أهل التفسير: معنى قوله ذلك أدنى ألا تعولوا أي ذلك أقرب أن لا تجوروا وتميلوا، وقيل ذلك أدنى أن لا يكثر عيالكم؛ قال الأزهري: وإلى هذا القول ذهب الشافعي، قال: والمعروف عند العرب عال الرجل يعول إذا جار، وأعال يعيل إذا كثر عياله. الكسائي: عال الرجل يعول إذا افتقر، قال: ومن العرب الفصحاء من يقول عال يعول إذا كثر عياله؛ قال الأزهري: وهذا يؤيد ما ذهب إليه الشافعي في تفسير الآية لأن الكسائي لا يحكي عن العرب إلا ما حفظه وضبطه، قال: وقول الشافعي نفسه حجة لأنه، رضي الله عنه، عربي اللسان فصيح اللهجة، قال: وقد اعترض عليه بعض المتحذلقين فخطأه، وقد عجل ولم يتثبت فيما قال، ولا يجوز للحضري أن يعجل إلى إنكار ما لا يعرفه من لغات العرب. وعال أمر القوم عولا: اشتد وتفاقم. ويقال: أمر عال وعائل أي متفاقم، على القلب؛ وقول أبي ذؤيب: فذلك أعلى منك فقدا لأنه ... كريم، وبطني للكرام بعيج إنما أراد أعول أي أشد فقلب فوزنه على هذا أفلع. وأعول الرجل والمرأة وعولا: رفعا صوتهما بالبكاء والصياح؛ فأما قوله: تسمع من شذانها عواولا فإنه جمع عوالا مصدر عول وحذف الياء ضرورة، والاسم العول والعويل والعولة، وقد تكون العولة حرارة وجد الحزين والمحب من غير نداء ولا بكاء؛ قال مليح الهذلي: فكيف تسلبنا ليلى وتكندنا، ... وقد تمنح منك العولة الكند؟ قال الجوهري: العول والعولة رفع الصوت بالبكاء، وكذلك العويل؛ أنشد ابن بري للكميت: ولن يستخير رسوم الديار، ... بعولته، ذو الصبا المعول وأعول عليه: بكى؛ وأنشد ثعلب لعبيد الله بن عبد الله بن عتبة: زعمت، فإن تلحق فضن مبرز ... جواد، وإن تسبق فنفسك أعول أراد فعلى نفسك أعول فحذف وأوصل. ويقال: العويل يكون صوتا من غير بكاء؛ ومنه قول أبي زبيد: للصدر منه عويل فيه حشرجة أي زئير كأنه يشتكي صدره. وأعولت القوس صوتت. قال سيبويه: وقالوا ويله وعوله، لا يتكلم به إلا مع ويله، قال الأزهري: وأما قولهم ويله وعوله فإن العول والعويل البكاء؛ وأنشد: أبلغ أمير المؤمنين رسالة، ... شكوى إليك مظلة وعويلا والعول والعويل: الاستغاثة، ومنه قولهم: معولي على فلان أي اتكالي عليه واستغاثتي به. وقال أبو طالب: النصب في قولهم ويله وعوله على الدعاء والذم، كما يقال ويلا له وترابا له. قال شمر: العويل الصياح والبكاء، قال: وأعول إعوالا وعول تعويلا إذا صاح وبكى. وعول: كلمة مثل ويب، يقال: عولك وعول زيد وعول لزيد. وعال عوله وعيل عوله: ثكلته أمه. الفراء: عال الرجل يعول إذا شق عليه الأمر؛ قال: وبه قرأ عبد الله في سورة يوسف ولا يعل أن يأتيني بهم جميعا ، ومعناه لا يشق عليه أن يأتيني بهم جميعا. وعالني الشيء يعولني عولا: غلبني وثقل علي؛ قالت الخنساء: ويكفي العشيرة ما عالها، ... وإن كان أصغرهم مولدا وعيل صبري، فهو معول: غلب؛ وقول كثير: وبالأمس ما ردوا لبين جمالهم، ... لعمري فعيل الصبر من يتجلد يحتمل أن يكون أراد عيل على الصبر فحذف وعدى، ويحتمل أن يجوز على قوله عيل الرجل صبره؛ قال ابن سيده: ولم أره لغيره. قال اللحياني: وقال أبو الجراح عال صبري فجاء به على فعل الفاعل. وعيل ما هو عائله أي غلب ما هو غالبه؛ يضرب للرجل الذي يعجب من كلامه أو غير ذلك، وهو على مذهب الدعاء؛ قال النمر بن تولب: وأحبب حبيبك حبا رويدا، ... فليس يعولك أن تصرما «2» . وقال ابن مقبل يصف فرسا: خدى مثل خدي الفالجي ينوشني ... بسدو يديه، عيل ما هو عائله وهو كقولك للشيء يعجبك: قاتله الله وأخزاه الله. قال أبو طالب: يكون عيل صبره أي غلب ويكون رفع وغير عما كان عليه من قولهم عالت الفريضة إذا ارتفعت. وفي حديث سطيح: فلما عيل صبره أي غلب؛ وأما قول الكميت: وما أنا في ائتلاف ابني نزار ... بملبوس علي، ولا معول فمعناه أني لست بمغلوب الرأي، من عيل أي غلب. وفي الحديث: المعول عليه يعذب أي الذي يبكى عليه من الموتى؛ قيل: أراد به من يوصي بذلك، وقيل: أراد الكافر، وقيل: أراد شخصا بعينه علم بالوحي حاله، ولهذا جاء به معرفا، ويروى بفتح العين وتشديد الواو من عول للمبالغة؛ ومنه رجز عامر: وبالصياح عولوا علينا أي أجلبوا واستغاثوا. والعويل: صوت الصدر بالبكاء؛ ومنه حديث شعبة: كان إذا سمع الحديث أخذه العويل والزويل حتى يحفظه ، وقيل: كل ما كان من هذا الباب فهو معول، بالتخفيف، فأما بالتشديد فهو من الاستعانة. يقال: عولت به وعليه أي استعنت. وأعولت القوس: صوتت. …

  • Lane · 1876English, synthesising the classical dictionaries.

    E. W. Lane (d. 1876), An Arabic-English Lexicon. English, synthesising the classical dictionaries.

    عَالَ

    1. عَالَ, aor. يَعِيلُ, inf. n. عَيْلَةٌ (S, Mgh, O, Msb, K) [afterwards said in the K to be the subst. from this verb] and عُيُولٌ (S, O, K) and عِيُولٌ (TA) and عَيْلٌ and مَعِيلٌ; (K;) and عال, aor. يَعُولُ; (Ks, TA in art. عول;) and اعال; (K in that art.;) He was, or became, poor, (S, Mgh, O, Msb, K,) and in want. (S, O.) So in the saying مَا لَهُ مَالَ وَعَالَ, [of which see another explanation in art. عول,] a form of imprecation. (TA.) It is said in a trad., مَا عَالَ مُقْتَصِدٌ وَلَا يَعِيلُ i. e. [One following the right course] has not become poor [nor will he become poor]. (TA.) And one says, لَا يَعِيلُ أَحَدٌ عَلَى القَصْدِ [and لَا يَقُولُ, expl. in art. عول], (Yoo, TA.) See also 4. عَالَنِى, (S, O, K,) aor. as above, (S, O,) inf. n. عَيْلٌ and مَعِيلٌ, It (a thing) was, or became, wanted by me, and unattainable to me: (S, O, K:) mentioned by El-Ahmar. (S, O.) And عال الضَّالَّةَ, (S, O, K,) aor. as above, inf. n. عَيْلٌ and عَيَلَانٌ, (S, O,) He knew not where to seek the stray beast. (S, O, K.) عال, (S, O,) or عال فِى مَشْيِهِ, (K,) aor. as above, inf. n. عَيْلٌ, (S, O,) said of a horse, (S, O, TA,) and of a man, (S, TA,) He inclined from side to side in his gait, (S, O, K,) and (when said of a man, S) was proud, haughty, or self-conceited, therein: (S, K:) the doing so in a horse is commended, as indicative of his generousness: (TA:) and تعيّل signifies the same, (O, K,) said of a man. (O.) And عال فِى الأَرْضِ, (O, K,) aor. as above, (O,) inf. n. عَيْلٌ and عُيُول and عُيُولٌ, thus in the K, i. e. with damm and fet-h, but in the M [عُيُولٌ and عِيُولٌ, i. e.] with damm and kesr, [of the like whereof there are many instances, one of them in the first sentence above,] (TA,) He (a man, O) went, or went away, (O, K,) and round about, (K, TA, but not in the CK) in the land; (O, K;) or journeyed therein seeking sustenance, or for the purpose of traffic; syn. ضَرَبَ فِيهَا: so says IAmb. (O.) عال المِيزَانُ, aor. يَعِيلُ and يَعُولُ, inf. n. عَيْلٌ and عَوْلٌ: see art. عول.

    عيّل

    2. عيّل as intrans.: see 4; and see also 1 in art. عول, fourth sentence. عيّل عيَالَهُ He neglected his family, or household: (TA, and K in art. عول:) or تَعْيِيلٌ signifies the feeding badly. (S, O.) See also 2 in art. عول, second sentence. And see 1 in that art., first sentence. عيّل فَرَسَهُ He (a man) left his horse alone, or by himself, to pasture where he would, without a pastor, in the desert. (S, O.)

    اعال

    4. اعال He (a man) had a family, or household; so accord. to Akh: or he had a numerous family or household; (S, O, TA;) as also أَعْيَلَ, and عال, and عيّل. (TA.) [See also 1 in art. عول, fourth sentence.] And see the first sentence of the present art. Also, said of a wolf, (O, K,) and of a lion, and of a leopard, (K,) He sought, or sought after, (O, K,) a thing, (O,) or prey. (K.) See also 4 in art. عول, last sentence.

    تَعَيَّلَ

    5: see 1, latter half.

    عِيلٌ

    عِيلٌ: see عَيْلَةٌ: and see also عَائِلٌ.

    عَيَلٌ

    عَيَلٌ The propounding of one's narration, and talk, to him who does not desire it and whom it does not concern; (O, K;) [and so, app., عِيَالٌ; for it is said that] this is what is meant in the saying of the Prophet, إِنَّ مِنَ القَوْلِ عَيَلًا, or, as some relate it, عِيَالًا: [whence it seems that both readings mean Verily of what is said is the propounding of one's narration, &c.:] so says Saasa'ah. (O.)

    عَالَةٌ

    عَالَةٌ: see the next paragraph. [ And see عَائِلٌ, of which it is a pl.] See also art. عول.

    عَيْلَةٌ

    عَيْلَةٌ [mentioned above as an inf. n., and also said in the K to be a subst.,] Poverty, (S, O, K,) and want; thus in the Kur ix. 28; as also عَالَةٌ; (S, O;) and عَائِلَةٌ, and thus accord. to one reading in the Kur ix. 28; and accord. to IAar, عِيلٌ, with kesr, is syn. with عَيْلَةٌ. (TA.) It is also a pl. [or rather a quasi-pl. n.] of عَائِلٌ q. v. (S, TA.) طَالَ عَيْلَتِى إِيَّاكَ means Long has continued my feeding, nourishing, or sustaining, thee. (O, K. [But this app. belongs to art. عول: see the first sentence in that art.])

    عَيْلَى

    عَيْلَى A woman that weeps [or wails] for the dead. (AA, O. [But this also app. belongs to art. عول.]) Also a pl. of عَائِلٌ [q. v.]. (S, O, K.)

    عيْلَانٌ

    عيْلَانٌ The male hyena. (S, O, K.)

    عِيَالٌ

    عِيَالٌ a pl. of which the sing is عَيِّلٌ and of which the pl. is عَيَائِلُ, this last being a pl. pl.: see art. عول. See also عَيَلٌ, above.

    عِيَالَةٌ

    عِيَالَةٌ The fodder, or provender, of a بِرْذَوْن [or hackney]; as also مَعَالَةٌ. (Fr, O, K.)

    Lane, Arabic-English Lexiconread Lane's entry online ↗

The same three letters in all six orders. Choose one.

ع ي ل

العين واللام والياء ليس فيه إلا ما هو منقلب عن واو العيلة الفاقة والحاجة

ʿ-l-y has nothing in it except what is converted from wāw: al-ʿayla, meaning poverty and need.

Ibn Fāris ↗Lisān ↗Lane ↗al-Khalīl: used ↗Quran ×2

an entry in Ibn Fārislater sources onlyin none of them

Do these six share one core meaning?

About thisal-Khalīl, Ibn Jinnī, Ibn Fāris; the counts across the dictionary

al-Khalīl (d. c. 170/786), Kitāb al-ʿAyn, as transmitted by al-Layth: a two-letter word “turns in two ways”, a three-letter word “in six ways” (masdūsa), four letters in 24, five in 120; “its used forms are written down and its unused ones dropped” (line 975 ↗). The dictionary is built on this: each chapter takes a set of letters and names which orders are used (mustaʿmal) and which unused (muhmal). The ring shows that verdict, from the chapter heading as edited (documented in the text; how much of the book is al-Khalīl's own is disputed).

A reported total. al-Suyūṭī transmits, from Ḥamza al-Iṣfahānī, that al-Khalīl put the possible forms, used and unused, of two to five letters at 12,305,412 (al-Muzhir, line 1347 ↗). It is reported, not found in the ʿAyn. It equals exactly the arrangements of 2 to 5 different letters out of 28 (756 + 19,656 + 491,400 + 11,793,600); the breakdown printed beside it is corrupt, and al-Zubaydī's count, given next, differs (6,659,400).

Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), al-Khaṣāʾiṣ, names the greater derivation (al-ishtiqāq al-akbar): bind a three-letter root and its six orders to one meaning, and bring stray members back “by the subtlety of the craft and interpretation” (line 7536 ↗). He says himself that it does not hold for every root (line 167 ↗; line 7603 ↗).

Ibn Fāris (d. 395/1004) gives each root its own aṣl and treats a rearranged word as maqlūb, “turned round”, and so not a root of its own: “j-b-dh is not a root, because it is a single word, turned round” (Maqāyīs, line 6147 ↗). The ring sets his aṣl for each order side by side; whether they meet is the question.

Neighbours on the ring differ by one swap of two letters.

The critique. A source quoted by al-Suyūṭī calls the greater derivation Ibn Jinnī's innovation, “not relied on in the language” (al-Muzhir, line 6159 ↗).

The other axis. The root's letters also go into patterns that keep their order and change the frame: the patterns (awzān) and the verb Forms I–X.

Across Ibn Fāris's dictionary. Of the 2,300 possible sets of three different sound letters (no hamza, w or y), 1,021 have at least one order as an entry. How many of their six orders are entries:

Ibn Fāris, entries found (1,021 letter-sets)
  1. 1 of 6319
  2. 2 of 6218
  3. 3 of 6164
  4. 4 of 6155
  5. 5 of 6107
  6. 6 of 658
al-Khalīl, orders his headings call used (746 letter-sets)
  1. 1 of 6148
  2. 2 of 6108
  3. 3 of 6157
  4. 4 of 6179
  5. 5 of 6111
  6. 6 of 643

Of the orders al-Khalīl calls used, 2,097 are entries in Ibn Fāris and 267 are not; 17 that he calls unused are entries in Ibn Fāris.

Our computation from the OpenITI texts; heading detection can miss entries

Attested here means found in our digital texts (Ibn Fāris, Lisān al-ʿArab, Lane, the Quranic Arabic Corpus), with w and y kept apart and hamza spellings merged; it is our data, not a classical verdict. English beside the Arabic is AI translation. Sources and grades: docs/research/root-permutations.md.

How each letter is made, in brief, from Sībawayh's and Ibn Jinnī's own sentences (linked); their words are under Reference.

How it is madeSībawayh and Ibn Jinnī · phonetics

English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic

ع

ومن أوسط الحلق مخرج العين والحاء

From the middle of the throat is the place of the ʿayn and the ḥāʾ. Sībawayh, lines 26548–26549 ↗

ومن وسط الحلق مخرج العين والحاء

From the middle of the throat is the place of the ʿayn and the ḥāʾ. Ibn Jinnī, line 970 ↗

ي

ومن وسط اللسان بينه وبين وسط الحنك الأعلى مخرج الجيم والشين والياء

From the middle of the tongue, between it and the middle of the upper palate, is the place of the jīm, the shīn and the yāʾ. Sībawayh, line 26553 ↗

ومن وسط اللسان بينه وبين وسط الحنك الأعلى، مخرج الجيم والشين والياء

From the middle of the tongue, between it and the middle of the upper palate, is the place of the jīm, the shīn and the yāʾ. Ibn Jinnī, line 974 ↗

ل

ومن حافة اللسان من أدناها إلى منتهى طرف اللسان، من بينها وبين ما يليها من الحنك الأعلى، مما فويق الضاحك والناب والرباعية والثنية، مخرج اللام

From the edge of the tongue, from its nearest part to the end of its tip, between it and the upper palate next to it, just above the premolar, the canine, the lateral and the central incisor, is the place of the lām. Ibn Jinnī, lines 977–978 ↗

Sībawayh, al-Kitāb (ed. Hārūn) and Ibn Jinnī, Sirr ṣināʿat al-iʿrāb; OpenITI digital texts (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Full credits on each letter's page.

In the Breath of the All-MercifulIbn ʿArabī · metaphysics

English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic

ع

Level of existence: الطبيعة · Nature

Divine Name: الباطن · The Inward (al-Bāṭin)

Lunar mansion: الثريا · al-Thurayyā (the Pleiades)

Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 63825

Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 9 line 2572 ↗

ي

Level of existence: السماء الأولى · The First Heaven

Divine Name: الرب · The Lord (al-Rabb)

Lunar mansion: الخرتان · al-Kharatān

Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 64500

Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 10 line 2573 ↗

المرتبة العشرية فحروفها حارة يابسة

The tenfold rank: its letters are hot and dry.

Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, line 2582

ل

Level of existence: السماء الثالثة · the third heaven

Divine Name: القاهر · the Subduer (al-Qāhir)

Lunar mansion: العوا · al-ʿAwwā

Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 64654

Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 7 line 2576 ↗

منها دون الألف فطبعها الحرارة واليبوسة

[Zāy and lām] of it, excluding alif: their nature is heat and dryness.

Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, line 2577
Meaning by vowelal-Dabbāgh · a visionary claim about a primordial “Syriac”, not historical Syriac

English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic

ع

فهي اسم لقدوم أو رحيل.

It is a name for arrival or departure.

فهي اسم للساكن في الذات التي تقوم به.

It is a name for that which dwells in the self and by which the self subsists.

فهي اسم لخبث الذات.

It is a name for the foulness of the self.

al-Dabbāgh (d. 1132/1719), al-Ibrīz, ch. 2 §15, compiled by al-Lamaṭī

ي

فهي للنداء، وقد يؤكد بها.

It is for the vocative (calling), and it may be used for emphasis.

فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي لا يثبت كالبرق ونحوه.

It is an indication of the thing that does not remain fixed, like lightning and the like.

فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي يستحيا به أو يستحيا منه كالعورة.

It is an indication of the thing that causes shame, or of which one is ashamed, like the private parts.

al-Dabbāgh (d. 1132/1719), al-Ibrīz, ch. 2 §15, compiled by al-Lamaṭī

ل

فهي حصول المتكلم على شيء عظيم، وتكون إشارة إلى شيء عظيم.

It is the speaker's attaining of something great, and it serves as an indication of something great.

فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي لا نهاية له.

It is an indication of the thing that has no end.

فهي إشارة من المتكلم إلى وجود ذاته أو إلى ذاته.

It is an indication by the speaker of the existence of his self, or of his self.

al-Dabbāgh (d. 1132/1719), al-Ibrīz, ch. 2 §15, compiled by al-Lamaṭī
Two-letter nucleus11 roots in Ibn Fāris’s chapterع ي

Ibn Fāris groups his roots under two-letter chapters (“the X and the Y and what makes them three”). These are the roots of this root's chapter with the core sense he gives each. Setting them side by side is our juxtaposition; he does not himself draw a shared meaning. His chapter heading, line 21201 ↗

  • عيبالعين والياء والباء أصل صحيح فيه كلمتان إحداهما العيب والأخرى العيبة وهما متباعدتان فالعيب في الشىء معروف تقول عاب فلان فلانا يعيبه ورجل عيابة وقاع فيQ 1 · L21202
  • عيثالعين والياء والثاء أصلان صحيحان متقاربان أحدهما الإسراع في الفساد والآخر تطلب الشيء على غير بصيرةL21208
  • عيجالعين والياء والجيم أصيل صحيح يدل على إقبال وإكتراث للشيء يقولون ما عجت بقول فلان أي لم أصدقه ولم أقبل عليه وما أعيج بشيء يأتيني من قبلهL21218
  • عيرالعين والياء والراء أصلان صحيحان يدل أحدهما على نتو الشيء وارتفاعه والآخر على مجيء وذهابQ 3 · L21222
  • عيسالعين والياء والسين كلمتان إحداهما لون أبيض مشرب والأخرى عسب الفحلL21245
  • عيشالعين والياء والشين أصل صحيح يدل على حياة وبقاءQ 8 · L21256
  • عيصالعين والنون والصاد أصل صحيح وهو المنبتL21266
  • عيكالعين والياء والكاف لم يذكر الخليل فيه شيئا وهو بناء جيد وإن لم يجيء فيه كلام لكن العيكتين موضع في بلاد العرب معروفL21302
  • عيلالعين واللام والياء ليس فيه إلا ما هو منقلب عن واو العيلة الفاقة والحاجةQ 2 · L21304
  • عيمالعين والياء والميم كلمة واحدة صحيحة وهي شهوة اللبنL21308
  • عينالعين والياء والنون أصل واحد صحيح يدل على عضو به يبصر وينظر ثم يشتق منه والأصل في جميعه ما ذكرناQ 65 · L21313
In the sister scriptsHebrew ע י לSyriac ܥ ܝ ܠ
Arabicع ي ل
Hebrewע י ל
Syriacܥ ܝ ܠ
Ancient South Arabian (musnad)𐩲 𐩺 𐩡
Phoenician𐤏 𐤉 𐤋

Letter for letter, by the regular sound correspondences of the Semitic languages (Arabic keeps several sounds the others merged). This shows how the root would be spelled; whether a related word exists is a separate question, answered in the Semitic lens. Where an Arabic sibilant (s, sh) continues two older sounds, both spellings are shown.

  • Classical lexiconAl-Khalīl's ʿAyn entry (given under ع-و-ل) is broad: al-ʿawl as the rise in the reckoning of inheritance shares, al-ʿawl as mayl in judgment (injustice), al-ʿawl as any burdensome affair, al-ʿawla from al-ʿawīl (loud weeping), and even al-miʿwal (pickaxe) and ʿawwala ʿalayhi (to rely on someone) — a dense cluster of senses around deviation, burden, and dependence.well attested

    The lexicographers in chronological order, from al-Khalīl to Lane.

    Al-Khalīl's ʿAyn entry (given under ع-و-ل) is broad: al-ʿawl as the rise in the reckoning of inheritance shares, al-ʿawl as mayl in judgment (injustice), al-ʿawl as any burdensome affair, al-ʿawla from al-ʿawīl (loud weeping), and even al-miʿwal (pickaxe) and ʿawwala ʿalayhi (to rely on someone) — a dense cluster of senses around deviation, burden, and dependence. Al-Jawharī's Ṣiḥāḥ narrows toward weeping (al-ʿawl/al-ʿawla = raising the voice in crying, aʿwala = wept loudly, cf. hadith al-muʿawwal ʿalayhi yuʿadhdhab) while retaining ʿawwaltu ʿalayhi (I relied on him) and al-ʿāla (a rain-shelter). Ibn Fāris, however, treats the yāʾ-form ع-ي-ل as a distinct, narrower matter: nothing in it but what is converted from wāw, namely al-ʿayla, poverty and want, citing Q9:28 and the hadith 'mā ʿāla muqtaṣid' (the frugal person never becomes poor). Al-Rāghib's Mufradāt (under ʿ-w-l) glosses al-ʿawl as departure from fairness by taking excess (tafsīr of Q4:3, dhālika adnā allā taʿūlū), extends it to ʿālat al-farīḍa (the inheritance computation exceeding the nominal shares), and derives al-ʿiyāl (dependents) from the sense of bearing a burden. Ibn Manẓūr's Lisān likewise treats al-ʿawl as mayl ilā al-jawr (deviation toward injustice), citing the same Q4:3 debate and ʿUthmān's dictum 'lastu bi-mīzānin lā aʿūlu' (I am not a balance that tips); Lane's entry for ʿayl confirms that by classical usage the yāʾ-form settles specifically as 'he was, or became, poor,' distinct from the ʿawl-cluster of weeping, injustice, and dependents.

    Draws on: cayn · sihah · Ibn Fāris · mufradat · lisan · Lane

    • Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, s.v. ع-ي-ل
    • al-Rāghib, al-Mufradāt, s.v. عول
    • Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v. عال
    • Wiktionary root appendix (link not verified)
  • Letters & soundThe Akbarian table assigns ʿayn to Nature (al-ṭabīʿa), yāʾ to the First Heaven, and lām to the third heaven.speculative

    What the theorists of sound symbolism would say of these letters. Speculative by nature.

    The Akbarian table assigns ʿayn to Nature (al-ṭabīʿa), yāʾ to the First Heaven, and lām to the third heaven. Al-Dabbāghī's gloss of ʿayn (fatḥa) as 'a name for arrival or departure' is suggestively apt for ʿāla/yaʿūlu's sense of a balance tipping (departing from level, hence injustice) and for ʿayla as a falling-away from sufficiency into want. His gloss of lām (fatḥa) as 'the speaker's attaining something great' sits in some tension with a root meaning lack and deprivation, if anything an inverse resonance. This is offered as suggestive juxtaposition only; it is not supported by mainstream comparative or historical linguistics.

    Draws on: akbari letter-values · dabbagh

    • al-Dabbāgh, letter-meanings (fatḥa series)
  • Root structureIbn Fāris's own note that ع-ي-ل contains 'nothing but what is converted from wāw' effectively folds this chapter back into ع-و-ل, making it an unusually thin independent entry among its ع-ي-* neighbors (ʿayb: fault/receptacle;plausible

    The two-letter nucleus (Ibn Fāris's own chapters) and the permutations of the letters (Ibn Jinnī).

    Ibn Fāris's own note that ع-ي-ل contains 'nothing but what is converted from wāw' effectively folds this chapter back into ع-و-ل, making it an unusually thin independent entry among its ع-ي-* neighbors (ʿayb: fault/receptacle; ʿayth: hasty corruption; ʿayj: heeding; ʿayr: protuberance, coming-and-going; ʿays: whiteness, stallion's semen; ʿaysh: life/subsistence; ʿayṣ: thicket; ʿaym: craving milk) — most of which are genuine independent yāʾ-roots. Among the permutations, عيل alone is attested and semantically live (poverty, 2 Quranic occurrences); علي is attested elsewhere as height/loftiness (ʿuluww), a formally adjacent but semantically unconnected root reached by simple metathesis; يعل, يلع, لعي, ليع show no independent usage in the data given, and Ibn Fāris explicitly classes لعي material as words 'not reducible to one pattern.' The عيل/علي metathesis (poverty/height) is a bare formal coincidence, not a connection Ibn Fāris draws.

    Draws on: maqayis nucleus siblings · permutations

    • Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, nucleus chapters ع-ي-*
  • Semitic kin & loanwordsThe 'injustice/deviation' branch of this root-cluster (Arabic ʿawl, mayl fī al-ḥukm) has a confident Hebrew cognate in ʿāwel (עָוֶל), 'unrighteousness, injustice,' both reflecting a common Semitic sense of deviation from the straight or the just.plausible

    Cognates in the sister languages, and whether the word was borrowed.

    The 'injustice/deviation' branch of this root-cluster (Arabic ʿawl, mayl fī al-ḥukm) has a confident Hebrew cognate in ʿāwel (עָוֶל), 'unrighteousness, injustice,' both reflecting a common Semitic sense of deviation from the straight or the just. The narrower 'poverty' sense that Ibn Fāris isolates as ع-ي-ل (the sense actually used in the Quranic occurrences here) has no equally confident external Semitic cognate in the sources at hand and appears to be an Arabic-internal semantic narrowing. There is no basis for treating either sense as a loanword.

    Draws on: comparative Semitic

    • BDB, s.v. עָוֶל
  • Quranic exegesisAt Q93:8, 'wa-wajadaka ʿāʾilan fa-aghnā' (He found you poor and made you rich), al-Ṭabarī and al-Zamakhsharī read ʿāʾilan as materially poor — lacking wealth and provisions in the Prophet's early life — and aghnā as God's subsequent provision, whether through worldly sufficiency, the gains of later years, or contentment of the heart;well attested

    How the classical exegetes read the word in the Quran.

    At Q93:8, 'wa-wajadaka ʿāʾilan fa-aghnā' (He found you poor and made you rich), al-Ṭabarī and al-Zamakhsharī read ʿāʾilan as materially poor — lacking wealth and provisions in the Prophet's early life — and aghnā as God's subsequent provision, whether through worldly sufficiency, the gains of later years, or contentment of the heart; al-Rāzī notes the latter spiritual reading alongside the literal one. At Q9:28, 'wa-in khiftum ʿaylatan fa-sawfa yughnīkumu Allāhu min faḍlihi in shāʾa,' addressed to believers fearing loss of trade after polytheists were barred from the sacred precinct, the exegetes read ʿayla straightforwardly as fear of poverty, with the verse promising divine compensation. Both Quranic occurrences use the narrow 'poverty/want' sense that Ibn Fāris isolates for ع-ي-ل, not the ʿawl cluster of weeping or injustice found in Q4:3.

    Draws on: Tabari · Zamakhshari · Razi

Neighbouring rootsThe roots that share letters with this one, as a map you can open out